An ex-communications director for a pharmaceutical company pleaded guilty to insider trading in an investigation that involved a breast cancer drug.
Lauren Wood, who pleaded guilty to securities fraud Wednesday in Newark and was due to be sentenced November.
In December, Wood of Washington and Usama Malik, a former executive, were both charged. The criminal complaint didn’t identify the company, but a separate Securities and Exchange Commission complaint identified Malik as the former CFO of Immunomedics, based in Morris Plains, New Jersey. Gilead Sciences purchased Immunomedics for $250,000 in 2020.
Federal authorities allege Malik shared nonpublic information with Wood, who was living with him at the time, about the drug’s effectiveness in pre-market clinical trials, and Wood used it to make more than $200,000 in profits from stock sales after the information was made public.
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Wood’s attorney declined to comment on Thursday. Malik is currently facing charges. A lawyer representing Malik declined to comment.
This article was written by The Associated Press
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