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MMR row doctor who defied Government 'in the clear'

By SUE CORRIGAN and SALLY BECK,

The Mail on Sunday 15th July 2006
 

The doctor at the heart of the MMR vaccine controversy may not face charges of misconduct despite a 20-month investigation which has devastated his professional reputation.

The General Medical Council has indicated that it will not proceed with charges against Dr Andrew Wakefield, who first suggested a link between the triple jab and autism.

Dr Wakefield has been strongly backed by the parents of autistic children allegedly damaged by the vaccine, who refused to condemn his actions when interviewed as part of the inquiry.

Last night the families claimed the investigation had been used to discredit his work and prevent further study into the risks of the vaccine.

Dr Wakefield first suggested a link between the triple vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella and autism and bowel disease in 1998, after carrying out tests on 12 children admitted to the Royal Free Hospital in London with serious bowel disorders. He proposed that parents be offered three single injections.

The Government denied there was a problem with the vaccine and it became a politically sensitive issue after senior Labour figures, including Tony Blair, refused to disclose if their children had received the jab. Dr Wakefield was ostracised by the medical establishment and has since moved to America.

In late 2004 the GMC announced it was launching an inquiry into allegations of serious professional misconduct against Dr Wakefield and two former colleagues. It centred on claims that autistic children admitted to the hospital with serious bowel problems were subjected to "unnecessary and invasive", tests.

smear campaign

However, the children's parents are understood to have staunchly defended the doctors', actions, praising them as the first to take their concerns seriously.

It was also claimed Dr Wakefield's research had not been valid because he failed to disclose a £50,000 grant from the lawyers of parents attempting to sue MMR's manufacturers for their children's disorders. Dr Wakefield has consistently argued that the grant was for separate research.

Nearly two years later the GMC has not drawn up any formal charges against Dr Wakefield and no date has been set for a public hearing, at which scientific arguments for a link between MMR and autism would have been aired. GMC spokeswoman Jo Wren said there is now "no guarantee", there will ever be a hearing.

New figures released last week revealed that more than one in 100 children in the UK suffer from autism - far higher than previously thought.

Last night Rosemary Kessick, the mother of an autistic boy whose treatment is part of the investigation, accused the GMC of allowing itself to be used as part of a deliberate Government campaign to smear Dr Wakefield and prop up public confidence in MMR.

"Hundreds of autistic children with the serious bowel disease first identified by Dr Wakefield have been unable to get any treatment in the UK, and the drawn-out GMC investigation has played a major role in this disgraceful state of affairs," she said.

"It is deeply disturbing that Dr Wakefield's research findings and personal integrity have been so damagingly called into question on the basis of draft charges that may, in the end, simply be dropped."

Last night Dr Wakefield confirmed that no charges had been filed to date.