Novartis shifts Zolgensma manipulation blame to former AveXis execs

Brian and Allan Kaspar, who were executives at AveXis last year when Novartis acquired it for $8.7 billion, were named by the embattled drugmaker as being responsible for the data mishandling

Sept. 24, 2019

Novartis has now placed the blame for the Zolgensma data manipulation onto the former executives of AveXis, the company that originally developed the drug and which was acquired by Novartis for $8.7 billion last year. The data manipulation of the $2.1 million gene therapy Zolgensma is being placed on Brian and Allan Kaspar, who Novartis says now either manipulated the data or pressured subordinates to manipulate the data.

The Kaspar brothers were executives at AveXis, the company that developed the drug and was acquired by Novartis for $8.7 billion last year. Novartis fired AveXis’ chief scientific officer Brian Kaspar and senior vice president of research and development Allan Kaspar on August 13.

Read the Reuters report