"Pfizer continues to emphasize -- in the strongest terms -- that the 1996 Trovan clinical study was conducted with the full knowledge of the Nigerian government and in a responsible and ethical way consistent with the company's abiding commitment to patient safety. Any allegations in these lawsuits to the contrary are simply untrue -- they weren't valid when they were first raised years ago and they're not valid today."

Nigeria's health minister appointed a panel of experts to look into Pfizer's actions, but its final report was suppressed without explanation. Last year, The Post obtained a copy, which revealed that the panel had concluded Pfizer's actions violated Nigerian law, the international Declaration of Helsinki and the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child.

In its statement, Pfizer said the drug was in late-stage development and had been tested on 5,000 patients in a number of countries. "Pfizer's doctors had solid scientific evidence that it would provide a safe and effective treatment against the deadly disease," the statement said. The treatment "indisputably helped save the lives of almost 200 children," the company said.