August 11, 2011

Nearly fifteen years after Pfizer, Inc.’s botched meningitis study in northern Nigeria, the company has made payments to the families of four children who died while participating in the experiments. According to philly.com, Pfizer announced today that they made payments of $175,000 to the four victims’ families, who underwent DNA testing in order to prove their relation to the victims. In 2009, the pharmaceutical company reached a settlement with the Nigerian government to pay the families a total of $75 million over time.

The case stemmed from a 1996 study in which Pfizer tested an experimental antibiotic, Trovan, on 100 meningitis-infected children in Nigeria during an outbreak of the disease. Throughout the course of the study, 11 children died and, according to lawsuits, other victims suffered brain damage, paralysis, and slurred speech after receiving lower doses of the drug.

US Pharmacopeia recently reported that their database includes more than 500,000 instances involving the wrong drug or drug dosage being given to a patient. These also includes cases of the right drug being given the wrong way, such as through an IV rather than orally. In this year alone, 192,000 cases in 500 hospitals have been reported.

The Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Attorneys with Lundy Law may be able to assist you if you’ve suffered because of a medical errors related to your prescription medications. Contact them for a free evaluation of your case.