Healthy Skepticism Library item: 12482

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Publication type: news

Nigerian court grants arrested Pfizer staff bail: judge
Agence France Presse 2008 Jan 11
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080111/wl_africa_afp/nigeriausdrugcourt_080111184745

Full text:

A court in Kano Friday granted bail to a Nigerian staff member of Pfizer Inc. arrested for defying a summons to appear in court in relation to an alleged illegal drugs trial by the US pharmaceuticals giant.

Segun Dogunro, a medical doctor, is accused of having taken part in a trial of the meningitis drug Trovan on 200 children in Kano during a 1996 epidemic.

The Kano state high court had on December 24, 2007 issued arrest warrants for Dogunro and two others including Ngozie Edozien, Pfizer Nigeria’s former managing director, for ignoring a summons to appear to face criminal charges filed against them by Kano state government.

“The court hereby grants the accused bail for five million naira (41,670 dollars / 28,170 euros) bond and two sureties … on condition all the three accused served with court summons appear on January 29,” judge Shehu Atiku said, adjourning the case to that date.

Dogunro was arrested in Lagos on Wednesday, brought to Kano on Thursday and was arraigned Friday.

“Our aim has been achieved. It is not our intention to arrest and detain any of the accused, but their refusal to honour the summons prompted the warrants,” said Aliyu Umar, Kano’s justice commissioner and prosecution counsel.

“And now that they have shown willingness to come and face the court, we have no cause to object to the defense’s request for bail,” Umar said.

Kano state filed civil and criminal suits demanding 2.75 billion dollars (two billion euros) in compensation from Pfizer and prosecution of its staff involved in testing Trovan during a triple epidemic of measles, cholera and meningitis in which over 12,000 people died.

The drug test allegedly led to 11 deaths and deformities in 189 other cases such as blindness, deafness, brain damage and paralysis.

Pfizer denies any wrongdoing and insists that the trial was conducted with the approval of the Nigerian government and conformed to ethical procedures.

“We are committed and determined to pursue this case to its logical conclusion … We will fight to the end no matter how long it takes,” Shekarau told the 150 families that attended the meeting, some with their deformed or handicapped children.

Kano suspended talks with Pfizer in November 2007 for what it called Pfizer’s lack of commitment and openness.

“We should not be in haste because in this kind of situation if you rush you may end up crash-landing,” Shekarau told the families, promising free special education for their children.

But several of the families, who are for the most part very poor, said they would be happy if out-of-court settlement talks could resume.

“Nobody will be happy if this case is prolonged after all these years of suffering,” Maikudi Garba Mairawani told AFP after the meeting.