Nigeria Has Filed Criminal Charges Against Pfizer

The Nigerian federal government has filed criminal charges against U.S. drugmaker Pfizer over a 1996 drug trial.

The Nigerian federal government has filed criminal charges against U.S. drugmaker Pfizer over a 1996 drug trial in the northern state of Kano in which 11 children died, a government lawyer said on Wednesday.

The federal government was already seeking $6.5 billion in a separate civil case. The government of Kano state is also seeking $2 billion in damages from Pfizer and has filed separate criminal charges too.

The charges were filed in May but this was not made public at the time. The case was due to come up in court on Wednesday, but in the absence of any representatives of the defendants, the case was adjourned until Oct. 29.

"There are several processes which the government needs to go through especially when you have foreign defendants," said government lawyer Babatunde Irukera.

Under Nigerian law, defendants must be present at their criminal trials. A source at the Justice Ministry said two of the nine defendants were already under arrest, without specifying the names.

The case centers on 200 children who were given drugs during a meningitis outbreak in 1996, including Pfizer's antibiotic Trovan. In the civil case, the Nigerian government says Pfizer deceived authorities about the details of the tests and caused the deaths of 11 children.

Pfizer has steadfastly denied the allegations.