Mumbai: A Nigeriain court will resume hearing on an $8.5 billion suit against US drug maker Pfizer''s alleged drug trials on African children during a meningitis epidemic will resume on 3 October.

Nigeria, which is suing the company for $8.5 billion, alleges the drugmaker deceived patients and caused the death of 11 children in 1996 when it conducted clinical trials for a new drug in the northern state of Kano.

The meningitis outbreak killed more than 12,000 children in six months near Kano, a predominantly Muslim metropolis.

Meningitis is an infection of the nervous system that can kill in hours if left untreated.

Ngozi Edozien, managing director of Pfizer in West Africa, said the company brought the experimental drug, Trovan, to Nigeria in response to an international plea for help.

The test involved 200 children, half of whom received Trovan while the other half received a proven meningitis treatment.

Nigeria alleges Pfizer was responsible for the deaths of 11 children and permanent health problems for many others. Pfizer also failed to obtain all the required approvals for the test and did not get proper consent from the patients, it said.

Pfizer rejected all the charges, saying Trovan saved lives and the alleged victims were affected by meningitis, not the drug.

The case was first brought in the US, but thrown out in 2005 by a judge who said it should be heard in Nigeria.

Pfizer, which is facing both civil and crimoinal proceedings brought by the Kano state government, will appear in both civil and criminal courts. The Nigerian federal government has also brought civil and criminal charges against Pfizer.
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