Research that led to MMR autism link, inquiry called for in UK

Main Category: Autism
Article Date: 21 Feb 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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A UK Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament, Dr. Evan Harris, has called for an independent inquiry into the research that led to links being made between autism and the MMR vaccine.

The Lancet, which published the research originally, said that with hindsight, it would not have published it.

According to the editor of the Lancet the researchers had a fatal conflict of interest.

The researcher at the centre of the study, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, disagrees with the Lancet's statement.

When the report came out six years ago, thousands of parents in the UK refused to let their kids have the MMR jab, despite claims by experts that it was safe.

After receiving an allegation of research misconduct, the Lancet carried out an investigation into the way the research was done. We do not know who made this allegation.

Dr. Wakefield, as well as researching into the link, was also carrying out a second investigation at the same time. He was studying into whether there were grounds for legal action on behalf of parents of supposedly damaged children.

Some of the kids were involved in both the studies.

The Lancet claims that it should have been told about this. Dr. Wakefield said he was not involved in selecting children for the second study.

That is why the Lancet said there were fatal conflicts of interest. On the one hand he was investigating a MMR autism link, while on the other hand he was working for parents who were planning to sue.

'In my view, if we had known the conflict of interest Dr Wakefield had in this work I think that would have strongly affected the peer reviewers about the credibility of this work and in my judgement it would have been rejected,' said the Lancet editor. 'As the father of a three-year-old who has had MMR, I regret hugely the adverse impact this paper has had. "

He also added 'Professionally, I don't regret it. The Lancet must raise new ideas.'

Dr. Wakefield said the two tasks were completely separate and he still believes in the conclusions of his findings. He said they had been independently confirmed by eminent doctors and pathologists.

He said that he had acted in the best medical interests of these children.

The UK Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament, a doctor himself, insisted that worries parents now have about MMR merited a fully independent inquiry.

'An inquiry is needed to establish what actually happened during this study and related studies,' he said.

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