Nigerian Lawsuit Against Pfizer for Experimental Drug Testing

Article on cnn.com -- Nigeria to refile suit against U.S. drug giant Pfizer, by the Associated Press.  Here's an excerpt:

Nigerian government lawyers withdrew a $7 billion civil lawsuit against Pfizer Inc. on Friday, saying they have discovered new material and plan to file what they called an even stronger case against the U.S. drug maker.

The government has accused Pfizer of taking advantage of a 1996 meningitis epidemic to test an experimental drug without authorization or full understanding of the families involved -- allegedly contributing to the deaths of some of the children and sickening others. Pfizer denies wrongdoing.

"We are here this morning to move an application for notice of discontinuance of this case. ... We have planned to refile a new suit," government lawyer Babatunde Irukera said.

Irukera said lawyers recently discovered material that suggested Pfizer committed fraud in the administration of the drug. The new suit will include these materials, along with clarifying some of the government's original arguments.

BGS