THE LANCET - Nigerian Govt. investigates Pfizer drug trial allegation
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I saw with shock the newspaper report on the usage of Nigerians (in
Kano) as guinea pigs for the test of drugs by Pfizer and Interna-
tional Pharmaceutical Company.
The Nigerian Government's move to investigate the issue is a noble.
Dr Nasidi and his team am sure will do a good job.
The case of Pfizer I believe is one of out so many. The rate at which
Laboratories are using expired chemicals for tests could also be
checked. The rate at which the Pharmaceutical Industry has removed
ethics for profit should also be checked. There are so many people
dying because of the consumption of the wrong drug(s) or the lack of
it. You may not believe it, but so many dispensed antibiotic cap-
sules, are nothing than cassava floor or chalk grinded finely and
packaged.
So many other drugs are repackaged and the manufacture and expiry
dates reformatted, like computer diskettes, for sales to the innocent
public.
The NAFDAC-National Food and Drugs Commission can not fight the mal-
aise alone, the National Pharmaceutical Research and Development In-
stitute, the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria and all other con-
cerned bodies should join in the fight.
So many people are consuming Chloramphenicol for Thypoid fever they
never have, because some laboratory and money hungry doctor said they
have and have prescribed same to them. When they become deaf they
will never link it to the drug they were consuming in the name of
curing Thypoid.
This I believe is not only a Nigerian problem, the developing nations
should face the challenge face up, in what ever way possible.
May God deliver us from the people that believe they will not die,
who feel so superior as to use humans as testing grounds for their
selfish goals.
Happy New Year.
Adamu Ayuba
Abuja, Nigeria
mailto:adamuaa@hotmail.com
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