In 1996, Nigeria experienced one of its worst meningitis outbreaks. Pfizer, a US pharmaceutical company, announced that it could help.
The pharmaceutical giant pledged to tackle the outbreak by testing the efficacy of its new antibiotic, ‘Trovan.’ The drug was tested on 200 young meningitis patients in Kano State, north-west Nigeria.
Barely a month later, 11 of the children that participated in the trial died of brain infections. Parents of other participants also reported disabilities among their children, majorly paralysis.
