A lead researcher for an Alzheimer's drug candidate was indicted June 27 in a case alleging he fabricated data, according to the Justice Department.
Between 2015 and 2023, Hoau-Yan Wang, PhD, allegedly falsified data in federal grant applications for simufilam, an experimental Alzheimer's drug. During that time, he was a tenured professor at the City University of New York and a paid advisor and consultant for Cassava Sciences, a Texas-based biopharmaceutical company.
Dr. Wang, 67, received $16 million in grants for phase 1 and phase 2 trials of simufilam, "part of which funded Wang's laboratory work and salary," the Justice Department said in a June 28 news release.
The "alleged scientific data falsification in the NIH grant applications related to how the proposed drug and diagnostic test were intended to work, and the improvement of certain indicators associated with Alzheimer's disease after treatment with the proposed drug," the Justice Department said.
After a CUNY committee found misconduct, the university halted his research.
Dr. Wang faces one count of major fraud against the United States, two counts of wire fraud and one count of false statements. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison for major fraud, 20 years for each count of wire fraud and five years for the count of false statements.