February 14, 2005
The U.S. Dept. of Justice announced that it had settled False Claims Act suits related to a gene therapy experiment that resulted in the death of an Arizona teenager.
The University of Pennsylvania, Children’s Medical Center and several individuals allegedly misled the government on the benefits of the treatment. The institutions will pay $1 million in settlement and the doctors involved face sanctions.
Jesse Gelsinger was the first person known to have died as a direct result of gene therapy.
The Washington Post reported on the settlement on February 10, 2005.