Nigerian Pfizer victims’ compensation fears

Subscribe to our channel Trovan, a Pfizer drug tested on 200 children and intended to treat a deadly regional outbreak of meningitis, killed 11 children and left several more permanently injured in 1996. In 2009, the US pharmaceutical company agreed to pay $75m to the claimants in compensation. However, Pfizer introduced DNA testing as part of the process to qualify for the payment. Many of the victims do not understand what DNA testing is and, fearing it is an attempt by the company to use them in another drug trial, have abandoned their compensation claims. Al Jazeera’s Yvonne Ndege reports from Kano State, northern Nigeria. At Al Jazeera English, we focus on people and events that affect people’s lives. We bring topics to light that often go under-reported, listening to all sides of the story and giving a ’voice to the voiceless.’ Reaching more than 270 million households in over 140 countries across the globe, our