Gastroenterology (MMR vaccine and autism claims)
Andrew Wakefield: Lancet MMR paper and General Medical Council hearing, 1998 to 2010
Lead author of the 1998 Lancet paper, registered UK doctor until 2010
Misconduct found The Lancet fully retracted the 1998 paper in February 2010, and in May 2010 the General Medical Council panel found him guilty of serious professional misconduct and erased his name from the UK medical register.1,2,4
Papers
| Paper | Action | Date | Reason stated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children The Lancet, 1998 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(10)60175-41,3 | Retracted | 2 February 2010 | The editors said that after the GMC panel judgment of 28 January 2010, claims that the children were consecutively referred and that the investigations were approved by the local ethics committee had been proven false. |
Investigations
- UK General Medical Council Fitness to Practise Panel (findings), 28 January 2010The panel announced its findings of fact. HealthDay dated the ruling 28 January 2010, and the BMJ reported that in January the GMC found him guilty of dishonesty and irresponsibility.3,4
- UK General Medical Council Fitness to Practise Panel (sanction), 24 May 2010The panel found him guilty of serious professional misconduct and determined that his name should be erased from the medical register. The BMJ reported the panel said erasure was "the only sanction that is appropriate to protect patients". RTE reported the panel found he acted in a dishonest, misleading and irresponsible way in his research.2,4
Response
HealthDay reported that he called the GMC panel's January 2010 ruling "unfounded and unjust". RTE reported that he has always defended his work.2,3
Sources
- The Lancet (the Editors), Retraction: Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children (2 February 2010)
- RTE News, MMR vaccine scare doctor struck off (24 May 2010)
- HealthDay News, Controversial Autism Study Retracted by Medical Journal (2 February 2010)
- BMJ (Zosia Kmietowicz), Wakefield is struck off for the "serious and wide-ranging findings against him" (24 May 2010)