MMR/autism paper fully retracted by the Lancet

Madely Health Headlines Commentary for February 3, 2010

Comment:

This is a story that we have covered extensively over the years on Sunday House Call. An excellent synopsis can be heard in our interview with Guardian columnist Dr. Ben Goldacre here.

I hold the some of the media just as responsible as Dr. Wakefield for this fiasco by sensationalizing news, promoting fear, and misrepresenting risk to peddle their stories. They are thus complicit in this MMR hoax. To see them react with such gusto against Wakefield and his research now that this paper has been completely retracted from publication epitomizes hypocrisy. They have learned nothing from their shameless behaviour and poor science reporting.

Source:

Lancet retracts study linking vaccine to autism

Reference:

The Lancet, Early Online Publication, 2 February 2010

Retraction—Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children

Following the judgment of the UK General Medical Council’s Fitness to Practise Panel on Jan 28, 2010, it has become clear that several elements of the 1998 paper by Wakefield et al1 are incorrect, contrary to the findings of an earlier investigation.2 In particular, the claims in the original paper that children were “consecutively referred” and that investigations were “approved” by the local ethics committee have been proven to be false. Therefore we fully retract this paper from the published record.

References

1 Wakefield AJ, Murch SH, Anthony A, et al. Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children. Lancet 1998; 351: 637-641. Summary | Full Text | PDF(758KB) | CrossRef | PubMed
2 Hodgson H. A statement by The Royal Free and University College Medical School and The Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust. Lancet 2004; 363: 824. Full Text | PDF(37KB) | CrossRef | PubMed
a The Lancet, London NW1 7BY, UK

Leave a Reply