Appeals court rules that Nigerian families can sue Pfizer in US
BMJ 2009; 338 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.b458 (Published 06 February 2009) Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b458- Jeanne Lenzer
- 1New York
A US federal appellate court has ruled that 88 Nigerian families can continue their lawsuit in the United States against Pfizer, the world’s largest drug maker. The 2-1 decision, issued by the Second Circuit Court in New York on 30 January, will allow the plaintiffs to reinstate their suit claiming that Pfizer conducted an illegal drug trial in 1996 during an outbreak of bacterial meningitis in Kano state, Nigeria.
The families allege that Pfizer conducted the study of its experimental drug trovafloxacin (Trovan) without obtaining informed consent (BMJ 2006;332:1233, doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7552.1233-a). According to court documents, the families claim that Pfizer gave the experimental …
Log in
Log in using your username and password
Log in through your institution
Subscribe from £173 *
Subscribe and get access to all BMJ articles, and much more.
* For online subscription
Access this article for 1 day for:
£38 / $45 / €42 (excludes VAT)
You can download a PDF version for your personal record.