Florida Woman Sentenced to Prison for False Statement to Investigator Related to Pediatric Asthma Drug Study

A federal decide sentenced a Florida girl to jail for building a bogus assertion to a federal government investigator similar to a clinical trial that studied the performance of asthma prescription drugs in youngsters.

Jessica Palacio, 37, of Miami, was convicted by a jury on Sept. 13, 2022, for lying to a U.S. Foodstuff and Drug Administration (Food and drug administration) investigator for the duration of a 2017 regulatory inspection of the firm conducting the drug demo. On January 12, U.S. District Choose Darrin P. Gayles sentenced Palacio to 36 months in jail and 3 yrs of supervised launch.

In accordance to evidence presented at trial, Palacio worked from 2013 to 2015 as a clinical exploration coordinator at a scientific trial company in Miami called Unrestricted Health care Research (UMR). UMR was a single of several organizations hired to carry out a scientific trial made to look into the basic safety of an asthma medicine in kids. The drug company discovered difficulties in the demo done by the business dependent on a evaluation of data and notified the Fda.

In May well 2021, a grand jury in Miami returned a two-count indictment versus Palacio alleging a scheme to falsify health-related information to make it show up as although pediatric subjects made scheduled visits to UMR, gained physical exams from a scientific investigator, and took study medicine as expected, when in fact these activities experienced not happened. The indictment alleged that when Palacio was confronted by an Fda regulatory investigator about her job in the clinical demo conducted by UMR, she submitted a untrue affidavit saying that she experienced executed a screening check out of a child topic when she experienced not.

Following demo, the jury located Palacio responsible of each conspiring to commit wire fraud and with earning a bogus assertion. The courtroom subsequently granted a defense motion for a judgment of acquittal on the conspiracy charge but denied a motion for judgment of acquittal as to the untrue statement charge.

“Clinical trials perform a essential position in establishing drug protection and efficacy,” claimed Principal Deputy Assistant Lawyer Typical Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Justice Department will work closely with its regulation enforcement companions to defend the integrity of this essential system.”

“Reliable and correct info from scientific trials is the cornerstone of FDA’s evaluation of a new drug,” mentioned Specific Agent in Demand Justin C. Fielder in the Fda Business of Criminal Investigations Miami Industry Place of work. “Compromised clinical trial details could impression the agency’s choices about the safety and effectiveness of the drug below review. Today’s sentencing demonstrates that those who attempt to subvert the regulatory capabilities of the Fda by creating fake statements to the agency to address up falsified information will be held accountable for their steps.”

4 co-conspirators earlier pleaded responsible and have been sentenced for their roles in the plan at UMR. Yvelice Villaman Bencosme, M.D., 66, of Miami, was sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment, and Lisett Raventos, 48, also of Miami, was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment. In addition, Maytee Lledo, 52, of Hialeah, Florida, was sentenced to 14 months’ imprisonment, which the court later on modified to time served, and Olga Torres, 50, of Miami, was sentenced to 3 years’ probation.

The Food and drug administration Business of Criminal Investigations investigated the scenario.

The scenario was prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsel David A. Frank and Trial Lawyer Marilee L. Miller from the Civil Division’s Buyer Defense Department, with the support of Associate Chief Kyrsten Melander for Enforcement at FDA’s Place of work of Chief Counsel.