WikiLeaks cables: Pfizer used dirty tricks to avoid clinical trial payout

[sabra]

Source: Guardian UK

Cables say drug giant hired investigators to find evidence of corruption on Nigerian attorney general to persuade him to drop legal action

The world's biggest pharmaceutical company hired investigators to unearth evidence of corruption against the Nigerian attorney general in order to persuade him to drop legal action over a controversial drug trial involving children with meningitis, according to a leaked US embassy cable.

Pfizer was sued by the Nigerian state and federal authorities, who claimed that children were harmed by a new antibiotic, Trovan, during the trial, which took place in the middle of a meningitis epidemic of unprecedented scale in Kano in the north of Nigeria in 1996.

Last year, the company came to a tentative settlement with the Kano state government which was to cost it $75m.

But the cable suggests that the US drug giant did not want to pay out to settle the two cases – one civil and one criminal – brought by the Nigerian federal government.

The cable reports a meeting between Pfizer's country manager, Enrico Liggeri, and US officials at the Abuja embassy on 9 April 2009. It states: "According to Liggeri, Pfizer had hired investigators to uncover corruption links to federal attorney general Michael Aondoakaa to expose him and put pressure on him to drop the federal cases. He said Pfizer's investigators were passing this information to local media."

The cable, classified confidential by economic counsellor Robert Tansey, continues: "A series of damaging articles detailing Aondoakaa's 'alleged' corruption ties were published in February and March. Liggeri contended that Pfizer had much more damaging information on Aondoakaa and that Aondoakaa's cronies were pressuring him to drop the suit for fear of further negative articles."

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/dec/09/wikileaks-cables-pfizer-nigeria

[Hell Hath No Fury]

1. Keep it coming!

:applause:

[sabra]

3. every day a small new batch has been released.... like clock work.

[Kaleko]

11. Smart to do it this way.

Give each disclosure a bit of time to sink into our consciousness so we can process it.

Though I must admit, at this point I'm barely able to keep up.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. No. Not Pfizer!

[defendandprotect]

4. Corporations are criminal from beginning to end -- like the elites who own them...

[Angry Dragon]

5. It seems that there are officials in this government

that will go to any lengths to break laws
they should be arrested and tried for crimes

I find these people are putting my life in danger.

[tomm2thumbs]

6. would this be considered Pfizer committing blackmail?

just curious, or is it just dirty tricks by legal definition?

[ejpoeta]

7. guess it depends on who is doing it.

[tomm2thumbs]

15. and catching the person(s) in the act, i suppose /nt

[daleo]

17. It fits the everyday definition of blackmail

Legal definitions can be tricky, though.

[katty]

8. sounds like the Constant Gardner....let's release more of this

i am sure it is biz as usual...

[montanacowboy]

9. Yep

my first thought too

[Arctic Dave]

16. Sounds like a chapter from, economic hitman. nt

[irislake]

10. What? A crooked drug company?

Oh my!

[earcandle]

12. Pfizer funds some gay organizations to seek out gay meth users who have aids to sell them viagra so

they can still have sex.... which kinda spreads AIDs... huh?  

now that craigslist has stopped its sex ads, they cannot find
those participants so easily. 

corporations who use human beings as fodder for their products
without any responsibility for
the social outcomes should lose their licenses to operate
instead of being allowed to pay
settlement fees to bypass the rule of law that protect
citizens from this kind of behavior.

I think we are going to see an end of all of this soon.  If we
hope to clean up the damage
caused by such deceit. 

[tpsbmam]

13. Fucking a! Want more, more, more leaks on corporate corruption! Definite K&R! nt

[indimuse]

14. KNR! n/t

[goforit]

18. Meningitis outbreak? Did they plant that too just to trial their drug?

OMG!!!...On children???
WTF kinda of morals do these thugs have?

[Matilda]

19. This is the kind of thing we really need to know.

Along with the influence of Royal Dutch Shell in Nigeria. We can live without the gossipy cables, but this sort
of info must get out there.

There is so much corruption in Africa, and it's aided and abetted by western corporations and "democratic" leaders.

And locking up Julian Assange isn't going to stop the leaks, thank God!