A SCIENTIST who falsified research data while working for an Edinburgh drug development firm has become the first person in the UK to be convicted under laboratory good practice laws.
Steven Eaton was found guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court of altering the results of pre-clinical trials, the stage before new medicines are tested on people.
Eaton fudged the data in order to support applications for funding for clinical trials on people, which is the final stage before a drug can be registered for the market.
Eaton was working at the former Edinburgh branch of US-based pharmaceutical firm Aptuit in 2009 when bosses found serious irregularities in his work.
The case was referred to industry watchdog the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which launched an investigation to find the studies affected and the impact of the irregularities.
Investigators found Eaton had selectively reported research data dating back to 2003. The manipulation ensured an experiment was deemed successful when it had failed.
Eaton is only the second person in the UK to be prosecuted under the law but the first to be convicted of wrongdoing.
He will return to court for sentencing on April 17 and faces either a fine or up to three months in prison.
Gerald Heddell, MHRA Director of Inspection, Enforcement and Standards, said: "This conviction sends a message that we will not hesitate to prosecute those whose actions have the potential to harm public health."
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