A world leading pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer International Incorporated, has faulted the claims of Kano State Government that it misrepresented or concealed facts over the ongoing legal dispute in the administration of Trovan drugs on meningitis patients in Kano 11 years ago.
It added that its long time goal was to bring life-saving and innovative form of antibiotic that could be used effectively in a peadiatric meningitis epidemic in a developing country.
Pfizer also claimed that Trovan was not only extremely effective at treating meningitis pathogen , its oral form avoided the use of intravenous administration or intramuscular injections.
This was disclosed in Pfizer�s 64- paragraph statement of defence that was prepared by its lawyer, Chief Tony Idigbe (SAN).
Kano State had earlier initiated a legal action against Pfizer in a suit No K/233/2007 before a Kano High Court, insisting that the pharmaceutical firm was negligent in the discharge of its professional duties to the victims of the epidemic.
Kano is also joining Pfizer Nigeria Ltd, Williams Steere, Samuel Ohuabuwa, A Dogunro, Scott Hopkins, Mike Dunne, Debra Williams and Robert Buhl as co-respondents to the suit.
A copy of the Pfizer�s statement of defence was made available to our correspondent in Lagos on Sunday.
But Pfizer had insisted that 200 children were involved in the study, 99 were administered Trovan, of which five died.
It added that 101 were administered Cefriaxone (the gold standard treatment at the time) of which six died.
Regarding Kano�s claim that Pfizer did not obtain the requisite approval to conduct the clinical trial, the pharmaceutical firm argued that it obtained approval from the relevant government officials and statutory bodies.
It cited the approval letters and exemptions that were issued by NAFDAC, the Federal Ministries of Finance and Health and the Kano State Ministry of Health to buttress its point.
Pfizer therefore wants the court to hold that the legal action was unmeritorious, frivolous, vexatious, embarrassing and constitutes a gross abuse of the court process.
It also urged the court to dismiss the Kano State Government suit in its entirety.