NGO’s and advocates like Bono are pushing companies to invest in Africa and forgive African debt. Health advocates like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation want companies to invest in research for tropical and emerging diseases that impact Africa and other tropical and lesser-developed areas.
Against this backdrop, you have African nations like Nigeria that are waging war on pharma. Nigeria wants to interrogate Pfizer’s ex-CEO Bill Steere. Countries are also looking to invalidate patents and break intellectual property agreements.
Nigeria’s issue is that Trovan was tested in children in Nigeria at the height of a cholera epidemic. Some children were born with deformities and some died, however causal link to Pfizer’s Trovan has not been established. Nigeria contends that Pfizer tested the drug in the country illegally. Pfizer maintains it received all proper government approvals.
The public interrogations and trial are scheduled for mid-April. I’m looking for Pfizer to bring forth evidence showing proof that government officials signed off on the tests. I’m also looking for Nigeria to then assert that either 1) the officials lacked authority or 2) claimed that Pfizer bribed the officials. Nigeria’s real aim is to use this as bargaining chip with pharma companies and the U.S. government, not to prove that Pfizer ever actually did anything illegal.
Given this, some pharma companies (at least two that I know of) are considering dropping current research programs aimed at tropical and emerging diseases. Why invest in Africa if you’ll be punished for it?
