Opinion & analysis

FDA’s Withdrawn Reg On Data Fraud Hangs Over Zolgensma Incident

Democratic senators push data-challenged gene therapy Zolgensma into the center of the drug pricing debate as they press acting commissioner Sharpless to bring the hammer down on Novartis, but also question the US FDA’s decision to withdraw its proposed rule about data falsification in clinical and nonclinical studies last year. Did the FDA do the right thing by abandoning a proposed rule that, as they state, is not needed to protect research subjects or ensure integrity of clinical trial data?