AstraZeneca Heart Drug Trial No Longer Subject of a Federal Probe

AstraZeneca says the Department of Justice is ending its investigation into PLATO, a clinical trial with its heart drug Brilinta, and is not planning any further action. It began investigating the PLATO trial, which studied more than 18,000 patients in 43 countries, last October after suspicions were raised that the clinical trial numbers may have been manipulated. In a statement, AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said, "We have always had absolute confidence in the integrity of the PLATO trial and we are proud of the important benefit Brilinta offers to patients around the world suffering from acute coronary syndrome."