To take action on the issues raised in the film, see what our partners at Transparency International are doing to tackle corruption across the globe by making governments and businesses more open, monitor resource trade and advocate for greater accountability. Allegations were made that these children suffered from long-term joint pain believed to have been a result of the drug they were given - which were swiftly denied. In one case in 1996, the pharmaceutical company Pfizer apparently gave children in Nigeria a new and untested drug called ‘Trovan’ which aimed to treat meningitis when the disease quickly became wide-spread in that part of the continent. Based on the fictional book by John Le Carr, The Constant Gardener is an authentic movie about the murder of a diplomat's wife in Kenya. but derives its message from a number of similar real-life cases of pharmaceutical companies trialling products on people living in the third world. The plot isn’t directly based on a true story. The Constant Gardener focuses on how the courage and determination of a number of people to uncover the truth and publicise these immoral and illegal drugs trials can raise awareness of the sacrifices made for our medication in the West. These huge and powerful organisations are highly unlikely to face legal action from those trialling the medication as these people can often not afford lawyers, are less likely to given an understanding of their rights and are deemed as easily expendable. The story highlights that this type of testing can be beneficial to drugs companies as it saves them time developing a secure formula for a drug early on, they can simply fly the drug overseas, test it, manipulate the findings of the trials (by excluding those who have suffered negative side effects) and sell the drug on to the Western world at a later stage when the testing is complete. It is suggested that the government of Kenya would have been bribed in order to agree to these trials. Using the most vulnerable communities in Kenya as test subjects, it follows a scandal to the highest levels of the British government when side effects and consent are ignored and Fiennes wife, a dedicated health worker is murdered because of what she knows.įilmed largely within the slums of Kibera and Loiyangalali, the communities where she works are desperate for medical care and vulnerable within their society - making them easy prey to big corporates like the pharmaceutical giant featuring in the story. The film begins when a large pharmaceutical company is found to be testing a new drug for people suffering from tuberculosis. It’s the story of The Constant Gardener – a film that combines the adventure chase format with some uncomfortable questions about western companies operating in Africa. murdered when she stumbles quite accidentally upon a political scandal and decides to make it her mission to bring this to light.
His wife, played by Rachel Weisz is a human rights activist and determined campaigner for justice. Ralph Fiennes plays an English diplomat who is sent to work in Kenya, Africa.