Sequenom fires CEO, research chief after probe of test data
September 28th, 2009From Bloomberg News, Dow Jones Newswires/Wall Street Journal, San Diego Business Journal, Market Watch:
San Diego-based Sequenom Inc. today announced the firings of two top executives following a five-month-long independent investigation of alleged mishandling of research data on a first-trimester blood test for Down syndrome. Company executives had touted its SEQureDx test as 100 percent accurate.
Terminated were CEO Harry Stylli and senior vice president for research Elizabeth Dragon, as well as three unnamed researchers. The company’s chief financial officer, Paul Hawran, and Steven Owings, who oversaw commercial development in prenatal diagnostics, also resigned.
The company said in a statement that it had “failed to put in place adequate protocols and controls for the conduct of studies” of its prenatal test for Down syndrome. “Certain employees also failed to provide adequate supervision.”
Test data “included inadequately substantiated claims, inconsistencies, and errors,” Sequenom said today. “Due to the deficiencies in our disclosure controls and procedures, in a number of instances such test data and results were reported to the public in our press releases and other public statement.”
… “We are no longer relying on, and the public should no longer rely on, any of our previously announced test data and results for our noninvasive prenatal test for [Down's Syndrome],
… Shares of Sequenom were halted prior to the news late Monday after closing at $5.69, down 71% for the year. In after-hours trading, the stock fell 44% to $3.18, close to the low of $2.86 hit in the wake of the initial disclosure of the issues in April.
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September 29th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
It is only a matter of time until Sequenom or another company is able to provide a non-invasive test that will predict with near 100% accuracy whether an unborn baby has Down syndrome.
This only buys the Down syndrome community a little more time to try to launch more positive public awareness that would encourage families to see the positives of having a family member with DS.
Still, I am left with an empty spot in my heart and soul knowing that a huge company really does represent so much of what the mainstream believes about ridding society of those who are genetically imperfect.