Wikileaks revelation about pharmaceutical company Pfizer

Wikileaks: The pharmaceutical company Pfizer has pressured the prosecutor to influence fines for health consequences of a drug study?

According to US diplomatic documents made available to the public by Wikileaks, there were attempts by the pharmaceutical company "Pfizer" in Nigeria to influence official penalties.
The papers report that Pfizer, headquartered in New York, has attempted to compromise Nigerian prosecutor Michael Aondoakaa. In addition, according to the documents published by Wikileaks, private investigators were hired to derive allegations of corruption against Aondoakaa. In February and March, corresponding articles were published in newspapers. The information should be provided by Dr. med. Enrico Liggeri, the Pfizer manager in Nigeria.

The background is given by the antibiotic Trovan in a clinical trial of a meningococcal meningitis epidemic in 1996 in the province of Kano. The drug study involved about 200 children. Around one hundred of the volunteers received the drug Trovan, while the other half of the children were given ceftriaxone. In the group who took Trovan, five children died. In addition, some children are said to have suffered massive health problems. Liggerie stated that, in his view, the charges should have been highly politically motivated, because the organization „Doctors Without Borders“ Trovan also administered it to other children during the meningitis epidemic in 1996, and the Nigerian government did not take any action at that time.

According to the pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer, the then study participation should have been voluntary and parents should speak in the local language „hausa“ all the details have been explained. The local authorities saw this differently and it ensued then a yearlong dispute over whether the consent of the parents have been obtained correctly. As a result, Pfizer was forced to pay a fine of $ 75 million, or $ 8 billion, 13 years after the trial. (tf, 11.12.2010)