A 1998 Lancet paper that touched off a worldwide scare over the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine was not only incorrect, claims an editorial in the British Medical Journal, but was part of an “elaborate fraud.”
The editorial accompanies an article by journalist Brian Deer that outlines how the link between MMR vaccine and autism was fixed by author Andrew Wakefield, including how he altered key data and how he sought to exploit the ensuing MMR scare for financial gain.
While the Lancet retracted the paper last year, and 10 of Wakefield’s co-authors retracted the paper’s interpretation in 2004, Wakefield maintains his views.
From the February 01, 2011 Issue of MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media
