Wakefield admits fabricating events when he took children's blood samples

doi:10.1136/bmj.39553.506597.DB

BMJ 2008;336:850 (19 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.39553.506597.DB (published 17 April 2008)

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Wakefield admits fabricating events when he took children’s blood samples

Owen Dyer

¹ London

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The doctor whose study triggered a collapse in public confidencein the combined measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine tolda disciplinary panel last week that he made up details of hisson’s birthday party—at which he took blood samplesfrom several children—when giving a speech in California.

Andrew Wakefield was one of the authors of the 1998 Lancet paperon inflammatory bowel disease and autism. He is now facing aGeneral Medical Council fitness to practise panel, accused ofserious professional misconduct, alongside two other authorsof the study, Simon Murch and John Walker-Smith.

Dr Wakefield’s comments at a press conference announcingthe paper, where he linked the MMR vaccine to a risk of autism,led to a public health scare that saw uptake of the vaccinedip below 80%. The Lancet later repudiated the paper, afterit emerged that Dr Wakefield had extensive financial ties tolawyers and . . . [Full text of this article]

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