Young, Sick Kids Died in '96 Drug Trial, Pfizer to Pay $75 Million

Nigeria Legal Actions

Posted by AI on 2025-08-20 06:39:27 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-08-20 08:35:41

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Eleven children died and many others were left disabled after Pfizer carried out a controversial drug trial in Nigeria in 1996, but the pharmaceutical giant will soon be held accountable for its actions. Pfizer has agreed to pay $75 million in compensation to the victims' families, and the trial's aftermath, an anonymous source close to the negotiations confirmed to AFP on Friday.

The source also said that, under the terms of the settlement, a separate $6.5 billion suit brought by the Nigerian federal government against Pfizer will be dropped.

In 1996, Pfizer ran a trial of its new meningitis drug, Trovan, on 200 children in the Nigerian state of Kano, then hit by a meningitis epidemic. Eleven of the children died, and many others developed deformities such as blindness, brain damage, and paralysis, according to the suit. The state government filed civil and criminal suits against Pfizer, demanding $2.75 billion in compensation and the prosecution of staff.

The source said that of the $75 million, $35 million would go to the victims, $30 million would be used to rebuild the Infectious Diseases Hospital, and $10 million would be used to settle the legal costs incurred by the Kano state government.

Pfizer has consistently denied any wrongdoing, insisting that the trial conformed to ethical practices and was conducted with the consent of the Nigerian government.

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