Researchers Get Jail Time for Falsifying Clinical Trial Data

A Florida federal judge sentenced two people to prison terms 8/11 in connection with their participation in a conspiracy to falsify data related to clinical drug trials. A Department of Justice statement says the defendants worked for Tellus Clinical Research.

Nurse practitioner Eduardo Navarro, a sub-investigator, was sentenced to 46 months in prison, while Nayade Varona, an assistant study coordinator, was sentenced to 30 months in prison. The two also were ordered to pay $2,134,503 in restitution.

As part of plea agreements, Navarro and Varona admitted that they conspired with others to falsify data in connection with two clinical trials by, among other things, falsifying medical records to make it appear as though subjects were participating in the trials when they were not, the department says.

The case was investigated by the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations.