The data used in a clinical study on Novartis Pharma K.K.'s blockbuster blood pressure drug Diovan were manipulated, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine has revealed.
The research, based on around 3,000 Japanese with high blood pressure, was started in 2004 by Hiroaki Matsubara, a former professor at the school who published papers between 2008 and 2012.
His study concluded that Diovan, generically known as valsartan, is more potent in reducing angina and strokes than other antihypertensive medicines.