BOTHELL — A Bothell pharmaceutical company will pay more than $4 million to resolve allegations it used falsified research to obtain grant money from the National Institute of Health.
The U.S. Attorney’s office announced the resolution on Monday. The studies dealt with age-related cognitive decline, a press release said.
“When the company applied for a federal grant, it failed to notify NIH of allegations that its former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) committed research misconduct when she falsified images from her doctoral dissertation,” the release said.
The settlement resolved allegations that stretched nearly five years, from Jan. 1, 2016 to June 20, 2021. Athira is alleged to have violated its obligations to disclose the allegations to the National Institute of Health, which it should have done in a variety of documents, including annual reports and grant applications.
“The research into neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease is critical to growing numbers of patients in our community. That research must not be tainted by the misconduct highlighted in this case,” U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman said in a release. “To its credit, Athira immediately notified NIH of the research misconduct after the full board of directors learned of it. The company’s transparency significantly helped Athira mitigate its damages and demonstrated its resolve towards coming into compliance with the relevant law and regulations.”
Athira did not immediately respond for comment.
Jordan Hansen: 425-339-3046; jordan.hansen@heraldnet.com; X: @jordyhansen.
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