Pfizer Defends Nigerian Drug Study
NEW YORK-Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer was left defending itself after an article in The Washington Post found the company reportedly did not follow the necessary procedures before beginning their study of the drug Trovan.
Company officials said they were "proud of the way the study was conducted," although there is now a lawsuit filed in the US District Court of New York on behalf of 30 children who participated in the study. They argue the drug, known as trovafloxacin also, was responsible for the deaths and brain damage of children during a 1996 meningitis outbreak in Nigeria. There were more than 200 children who participated in the study, which took place during an epidemic that killed more than 15,000 Africans.
The lawsuit alleges that Pfizer officials rushed important steps to begin the study, therefore violating international law, federal regulations, and medical ethics.
The article, which ran as a series highlighting medical testing abroad by American pharmaceutical companies, showed that the company did not seek approval from an Nigerian medical ethics committee before starting testing.
Trovan, which was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1997, was designed to treat many infections, However, after cases of liver failure, its uses was restricted in 1999.
Information from www.washingtonpost.com
Point-of-Care Engagement in Long-Term Care Decreasing Infections
November 26th 2024Get Well’s digital patient engagement platform decreases hospital-acquired infection rates by 31%, improves patient education, and fosters involvement in personalized care plans through real-time interaction tools.
Comprehensive Strategies in Wound Care: Insights From Madhavi Ponnapalli, MD
November 22nd 2024Madhavi Ponnapalli, MD, discusses effective wound care strategies, including debridement techniques, offloading modalities, appropriate dressing selection, compression therapy, and nutritional needs for optimal healing outcomes.
The Leapfrog Group and the Positive Effect on Hospital Hand Hygiene
November 21st 2024The Leapfrog Group enhances hospital safety by publicizing hand hygiene performance, improving patient safety outcomes, and significantly reducing health care-associated infections through transparent standards and monitoring initiatives.
