1996 Pfizer Drug Trials

In 1996, an intense meningitis epidemic swept across Nigeria. Meningitis is an illness caused by the inflammation of the meninges (spinal cord linings) and the brain. The epidemic lasted for over three months, affected over 100,000 Nigerians, and had a mortality rate of 10.7%. To aid Nigeria in managing the outbreak, the U.S. relied on Pfizer, a US-based pharmaceutical company that had an international location in Nigeria. At the time, Pfizer had created potential meningitis medication for adults, Trovan. However, this injectible antibiotic drug was not approved to be administered to children by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA urged for further lab testing and research due to the potential side effects for children.

Nonetheless, Pfizer launched a Trovan drug trial in Nigeria, administering Trovan without informed consent to over 200 children. Unfortunately, the results were devastating. Zakari, a six-year-old who received the meningitis treatment and the son of Nigerian woman Hajiya Maryam, was left with a hearing and speech impediment. Maryam took Zakari to the Pfizer clinic in Kano due to her concerns about his severe fever and headaches. Yet, Zakari was left unconscious for hours, only to wake up unable to hear Maryam's voice. Furthermore, the drug led to the death of 11 children and caused other side effects such as blindness, paralysis, and neurological deficits.

With many of the children and their families still living today, this jarring incident contributed to the rise of anti-vaccination ideologies and distrust towards Western medicine. Today, only 23% of Africa is fully vaccinated, and whenever being unvaccinated is brought into the conversation, people cite the 1996 Pfizer drug trials.

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References

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Archibong, B., & Annan, F. (2021, December 3). What do Pfizer’s 1996 drug trials in Nigeria teach us about vaccine hesitancy? Brookings; Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2021/12/03/what-do-pfizers-1996-drug-trials-in-nigeria-teach-us-about-vaccine-hesitancy/

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Choudhry, I. (2022, December 12). Origins of Vaccine Hesitancy: The 1996 Pfizer Drug Trials in Nigeria. Cpp-Hov.netlify.app; History of Vaccines. https://historyofvaccines.org/blog/origins-vaccine-hesitancy-1996-pfizer-drug-trials-nigeria

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Garba, M., & Abidakun, M. (2021, September 10). Nigeria: The infamous 1996 Pfizer trial driving anti-vax feelings today | African Arguments. African Arguments. https://africanarguments.org/2021/09/nigeria-the-infamous-1996-pfizer-trial-driving-anti-vax-feelings-today/

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Lenzer, J. (2006). Secret report surfaces showing that Pfizer was at fault in Nigerian drug tests. BMJ, 332(7552), 1233.2. National Library of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.332.7552.1233-a

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Lenzer, J. (2011). Pfizer settles with victims of Nigerian drug trial. BMJ, 343(aug16 3), d5268–d5268. BMJ. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.d5268

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Shah, S., & Le Carre, J. (2012). The Body Hunters : Testing New Drugs on the World’s Poorest Patients. New Press, the. (Original work published 2023)