During a major meningitis epidemic in northern Nigeria in 1996, the drug company Pfizer supplied doctors with the oral antibiotic Trovan, which the firm wanted to test against the most effective known drug, Ceftriaxone, as a “control.” This procedure is consistent with the general consensus in research ethics that the control group must receive the best-known treatment for comparison.
1996年，在尼日利亚北部爆发大规模脑膜炎时，辉瑞公司在向当地医生提供口服抗生素特洛芬的同时把服用头孢曲松的病人设为“控制组”，藉此将测试特洛芬与当前最有效药物进行对比。这个操作是符合医学研究的一般伦理要求的，即在进行对比测试时，控制组必须受到最好的治疗。