FDA finds U.S. drug research firm faked documents

[Islander]

WASHINGTON | Tue Jul 26, 2011 6:46pm EDT

(Reuters) - Drug companies that had medicines tested by contractor Cetero Research might have to reevaluate results, U.S. regulators warned after the firm was found faking documents and manipulating samples.
The Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday two 2010 inspections, an internal company investigation and a third-party audit uncovered "significant instances of misconduct and violations" at a Cetero facility in Houston.
The Cary, North Carolina-based firm does early-phase clinical research and bioanalytics for a number of drugmakers. The pharmaceutical companies can then use those studies as supporting evidence in drug approval applications to the FDA.
"The pattern of misconduct was serious enough to raise concerns about the integrity of the data Cetero generated during the five-year time frame," the FDA said, warning drugmakers they might have to repeat or confirm any studies Cetero did in support of their applications between April 2005 and June 2010.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...e=ushealth1100

[mellowsong]

I wholeheartedly doubt this is confined to one company either. Drug makers have been hiding adverse reactions, manipulating results etc probably since the inception of pharmaceutical companies.