Pfizer and Nigerian state in deal
American-based pharmaceutical company Pfizer has signed a settlement worth up to $75m (£45m) with the Nigerian state of Kano, a joint statement says.
It follows a long-running legal battle over allegations that children were harmed by an experimental drug, Trovan, during a meningitis outbreak in 1996.
Eleven children died and more than 180 others suffered serious illness.
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The deal will see Pfizer underwrite several healthcare initiatives chosen by the state government in Kano, worth $30m.
There is also a fund which could disburse up to $35m to those who took part in the 1996 study.
And Pfizer has also agreed to reimburse Kano for $10m in legal costs.
The 1996 study was carried out during an epidemic of measles, cholera and meningitis in which more than 12,000 people are reported to have died.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/8177388.stm