Diseases/Conditions

BMJ Focuses on Science Fraud, But Is Their Own Exposed by Wakefield Lawsuit?

January 7, 2012 by admin in Autism, Featured, Vaccines with 25 Comments
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Such irony! Just as the British Medical Journal (BMJ) focuses on problems in medical science, including outright fraud, their own scruples are placed under the spotlight with Dr. Andrew Wakefield’s lawsuit against the BMJ, their editor Fiona Godlee, and a reporter they’d supported and even lionized, Brian Deer.

The BMJ‘s Accusation

The BMJ accused Dr. Wakefield of great malfeasance and outright fraud in their article series, “Secrets of the MMR Scare”, by Brian Deer published in January 2011. Wakefield has filed a lawsuit in a court of Texas, where he now resides in exile because of Deer’s accusations, resulting in him being stricken from the roles of doctors able to practice in the UK.

The damage done to Dr. Wakefield and his research cannot be underestimated. It shows up in most of the reports on his lawsuit in presumptions that he was guilty of misconduct and research fraud. MedPageToday made false statements

  • Referred to his 1998 Lancet paper, “Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children”, as “infamous”. T
  • Stated that the Lancet paper claims that “MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccinations had caused autism-like symptoms in 12 children.” This is simply untrue. The paper describes clinical gastroenterological findings in some autistic children, but made no claim of cause.

Dr. Godlee has stated, both in the BMJ and in public speeches and interviews, that Dr. Wakefield committed fraud. There was no softening of the terminology. Now, though, Dr. Wakefield is striking back.

Dr. Wakefield’s Court Filing

The court filing by Dr. Wakefield’s attorneys is remarkably free of legalese and is quite readable. I like to believe that this is indicative of an interest in transparency, rather than the obfuscation so often seen in legal documents. It cites several facts in support of his case, including:

  • The obvious fact that statements by Godlee and Deer have been widely disseminated since the publication of Deer’s accusations in January 2011.
  • Ongoing statements by Deer have been directed at Wakefield’s current activities in Texas, and that these statements are both false and defamatory. This supports the claim that Deer’s statements:

    …were and are false and written and published with actual malice and intended to cause damage to Dr. Wakefield’s reputation and work as a researcher, academic and physician and to permanently impair his reputation and livelihood.

  • The so-called “re-analysis” of the medical records was knowingly false:

    Purporting to offer a “re-analysis” of the medical records – many of which Defendants knew were not in the possession of or used by Dr. Wakefield and his colleagues at the time of the publication of the Lancet Paper – for the twelve subject children, Defendants knowingly and with actual malice misrepresented information, data and diagnoses for the purpose of  creating the false impression that it was Dr. Wakefield who had manipulated or altered data or diagnoses. Based on Defendants’ purported “reanalysis,” Defendants made and continue to make assertions that Plaintiff Dr. Wakefield committed fraud and is “a fraudster.”

  • The 5 January 2011 article written by Brian Deer, “Secrets of the MMR Scare: How the Case Against the MMR Vaccine was Fixed”, contains many false and misleading statements, including:

    Dr. Wakefield’s case study was “fixed” and based on “bogus data”; Dr. Wakefield’s findings were “manufacturered” to give “the appearance of a link [to] autism”; Dr. Wakefield’s “undisclosed goal” of the project “was to help sue the vaccine’s manufacturers” and that “Wakefield evidenced his [new] ‘syndrome’ for the lawsuit, and built his platform to launch the vaccine scare”; Dr. Wakefield doctored the underlying subjects’ data to reach his conclusion as “[n]o case was free of misreporting or alteration”; The children who were the subjects of the Lancet Paper “were recruited through anti-MMR campaigners, and the study was commissioned and funded for planned litigation”;

    And, Deer’s insulting description of those who have watched the witch hunt against Dr. Wakefield with an open mind:

    Plaintiff Wakefield, “nevertheless, now apparently self-employed and professionally ruined, remains championed by a sad rump of disciples.”

  • The BMJ ran malicious and defamatory editorials by the editor, Fiona Godlee, including the following statement by Godlee that Deer’s article:

    …shows the extent of Wakefield’s fraud and how it was perpetrated…and how Wakefield altered numerous facts about the patients’ medical histories in order to support his claim of having identified a new syndrome.

    Godlee went on to state that it was Wakefield alone who perpetrated this so-called “fraud”:

    The BMJ is supposed to be a respected medical journal, focusing on facts and research. Instead, Godlee, Deer and others at the BMJ used the BMJ to launch an unprecedented personal attack on a doctor who was part of a group of well respected physicians that presented a case study that simply suggested that there might be a connection between the combined MMR vaccine, when administered as a combination of live viruses to children, and autism and that suggested further research is warranted.

  • The BMJ failed to disclose its “significant revenue from the very vaccine manufacturers whose products need further investigation”. The complaint identifies specifics of this conflict of interest..
  • Deer’s allegations are based on intentional misrepresentations of the Lancet paper’s contents, and these fraudulent statements were intended to injure Wakefield.
  • Deer, Godlee, and the BMJ, “ironically” used misleading information to give the false impression that Wakefield had altered, manipulated, or misrepresented data in the Lancet paper.
  • Deer and Godlee were promoting their stories to the press within 24 hours of the publication of the first installment of Deer’s article maligning Wakefield and his research. On at least one American television show, Deer said that Wakefield is “a determined cheat”, embarked in “a campaign of lies”, and is now trying to make a living at the expense of autistic children. He appeared on several other shows making inflammatory and false statements.
  • Deer attempted to multiply the effect in a “self-congratulatory” article in which he made several defamatory statements about Dr. Wakefield. The complaint goes on to list specifics of that article and several other instances of Deer’s and Godlee’s inflammatory and defamatory commentary.

Summary of the Case

In summary, the complaint for defamation against Dr. Wakefield specifies both libelous and slanderous commentary on the part of the defendants. It states that they knowingly misrepresented facts with the intention of making false accusations against Dr. Wakefield. These statements were made with malice. The defendants were aware of the falseness of their claims. They intended to cause substantial harm to Dr. Wakefield, to open him up to scorn in his own community, and to damage his livelihood.  As a result, Dr. Wakefield has suffered “injury to character and reputation, humiliation, injury to feelings, and loss of earning capacity”.

If only a single claim in Dr. Wakefield’s lawsuit were true, he would be entitled to a favorable judgement. However, as seen in previous Gaia Health assessments of Deer’s claims against Wakefield, the legitimacy of this lawsuit is simply obvious.

Why File in Texas?

Rather than filing his lawsuit in a British court, where the accusations against him took place, and where the laws are generally considered to be strongly on the side of the accuser, rather than the plaintiff, the venue chosen is his new home state of Texas.

This strange choice of venue is raising eyebrows, even in circles supportive of him. However, a bit of thought shows that the choice of venue may be wise.

There is a great deal of truth in the claim British law strongly favors the accuser. In Great Britain, the burden of proof is on the defendant. That is, the defendant—the one accused—must prove his innocence, rather than the plainiff having to prove his guilt. This is the reverse of generally accepted legal practices, in which the burden of proof is on the accuser.

Nonetheless, there’s a catch. British law favors the well-heeled accuser. It costs money, lots and lots of money, to successfully bring a defamation lawsuit in Great Britain. Dr. Wakefield’s income has been destroyed by the attacks on him. He has been struck off the register and can no longer practice as a doctor, which has prompted his move to the US. It’s hard to imagine that he has bottomless pockets. Therefore, his ability to prosecute a defamation lawsuit in Great Britain is severely diminished.

In Britain, a successful defamation prosecution by Wakefield could stand as a precedent that would harm the government itself, as it knowingly purchased the Urabe MMR vaccine that was in effect in the children Wakefield was studying. (See Andrew Wakefield Speaks to Private US Physicians on the Smear Campaign Against Him.) This vaccine was known to cause severe harm, so the manufacturer, SmithKline  Beecham, refused to sell it without a waiver of indemnity, which the UK government granted. Therefore, the government itself is on the hook if it’s officially found that there’s a connection between the vaccine and autism. When you consider the number of children involved and the degree of harm done to them, it’s so large that the financial stability of the government would likely be at risk.

Bringing the case outside the UK makes good sense.

Finally, there’s the fact that US court settlements, though generally more difficult to obtain, tend to be significantly higher. If Dr. Wakefield’s case is strong—and it seems to me that it’s exceedingly good—then he certainly doesn’t need the ease of the British defamation laws.

Why wouldn’t Dr. Wakefield choose to utilize the American court system? Anyone who has followed this case with an open mind must be aware that Wakefield’s research was excellent and that the claims against him are false. He has suffered hugely, and the autistic children have been left in the dust.

The BMJ‘s Response

At this writing, the BMJ says it hasn’t yet received formal notice of the lawsuit. However, their approach appears to be of the philosophy suggesting that the best defense is offense. They imply that there is something suspect in the location of the lawsuit’s filing. The statement continues with:

Despite the findings of the GMC’s Fitness to Practice Panel and his co-authors having publicly retracted the causation interpretation put forward by the Lancet Paper, it would appear from the Claim filed at court that Mr Wakefield still stands by the accuracy of the Lancet paper and his conclusion therein, thereby compounding his previously found misconduct.

While we await formal service, unsurprisingly the BMJ and Mr Deer stand by the material published in the BMJ and their other statements and confirm that they have instructed lawyers to defend the claim vigorously.

The BMJ clearly intends to fight. Of course, they’ve little choice. But the fact is that there was no need to continue to harass Dr. Wakefield, and that the claims of Brian Deer’s article series of January 2011 are inaccurate, as Dr. Wakefield has publicly proven, and as his co-researcher, Dr. Dhillon, the first pathologist to give analyses of the children’s gastrointestinal condtion, has stated.

As Dr. Wakefield has said, it looks like the BMJ and Godlee are “doubling down”. This may prove to be their undoing.

Further Gaia Health Articles on the Accusations Against Wakefield: 

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  • Anonymous

    Good luck to Dr Wakefield and to Professor Walker-Smith whose High Court appeal against the GMC verdict is due to take place next month.

    My family members are so grateful to these brave doctors. The whole world is indebted to them.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_RCNYHV7XYT4HYHRAFK5UTLU24I Diane

    Yes, thanks to Dr Wakefield, my son was saved from further vaccine injury from the MMR which his Ped was pushing me to give him. Thank goodness we didn’t listen to her!
    I wonder how anyone can think Dr Wakefield can change medical records he doesn’t have access to? Do they think he’s a Superhero? Even they have limitations ; )

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1583493755 Jan Kennedy Houston

    “This may prove to be their undoing.”
    One can only hope!!!!

  • Anonymous

    Why Texas? Because in Texas, they know bullshit when they see it. Dr. Semmelweiss, Dr. Burzynski, and all wrongly accused, iatrogenesis-exposing doctors between them will be in that courtroom in Spirit behind Dr. Wakefield. Dr. Wakefield has my support as well…may the truth prevail.

    • LBRB Sullivan

      “Because in Texas, they know bullshit when they see it”

      Sometimes it takes a while, though. Like Thoughtful House. Took a while to fire Mr. Wakefield.

      And, now, they’ve even changed their name. The truth has prevailed. Mr. Wakefield was wrong.

  • Anonymous

    Humpty Dumpty is starting to wobble back and forth, and when he falls, no one, fortunately, will be able to put him back together again.

  • Ken Reibel

    In his 1997 patent application, Mr. Wakefield claimed an association between MMR and “regressive behavioural disorder,” by which he meant autism.

    • Anonymous

      First, it wasn’t “his” patent application, but one that he produced for the university he worked at. (Deer’s claim that it was for Wakefield’s benefit is absurd on the surface. A quick look at it shows who the patent was for – and it wasn’t Wakefield.)

      Second, that isn’t the issue. The issue is what’s in the Lancet paper – and he did not claim that an association exists between MMR & autism (or any other disorder), but suggested that further investigation is warranted for an association with MMR & gastro disease. His conclusion was:

      “We have identified a chronic enterocolitis in children
      that may be related to neuropsychiatric dysfunction. In
      most cases, onset of symptoms was after measles,
      mumps, and rubella immunisation. Further investigations
      are needed to examine this syndrome and its possible
      relation to this vaccine.”

      • LBRB Sullivan

        The patent lists Mr. Wakefield’s hospital as the assignee. But, and this is very important, Andrew Wakefield did not consult nor did he inform his hospital of his patent application.

        From day 15 of the GMC hearings, Professor Zuckerman is responding to a question:

        “My reply to this is, during my 10 years as Dean I had many surprises but none as great as this, when patents were taken in the name of the Medical School without the knowledge of the Medical School, so I was not aware of this until I received a letter from our external relations officer, Miss Ruth Bishop. I was absolutely shocked.”

        Mr Wakefield has business plans in place to develop the invention he thought he had.

        “The issue is what’s in the Lancet paper – and he did not claim that an association exists between MMR & autism (or any other disorder), but suggested that further investigation is warranted for an association with MMR & gastro disease. His conclusion was: ”

        His conclusion, not the one of the paper, and not the one of his co-authors, was that the MMR vaccine was unsafe and that separate M, M and R vaccines should be given. He made this clear in the video that was part of the Lancet paper’s press conference:

        Andrew Wakefield: “My opinion, again, is that the monovalent, the single vaccines, measles, mumps and rubella, are likely in this context to be safer than the polyvalent vaccine. ”

        http://briandeer.com/wakefield/royal-video.htm

        • Anonymous

          The ONLY conclusion that counts is the one that’s in the paper. That’s what he’s been crucified for. Whatever he’s said since is irrelevant to this discussion. What he now believes personally and what he asserts in his research are two different things. Surely you realize that. Or are you suggesting that Wakefield be tried for thought crimes?

          Zuckerman appears to have been covering his ass, nothing more. If he and the school were unaware of that application, then why didn’t they fire Wakefield? Nothing about that accusation makes any sense whatsoever. Even the idea that Wakefield was or is planning to collect on a patent application on which his name does not appear as an owner is simply crazy.

          You are mixing apples and oranges, and you are accepting a claim that makes absolutely no sense.

          • LBRB Sullivan

            “The ONLY conclusion that counts is the one that’s in the paper. That’s what he’s been crucified for.”

            He is not “being crucified”. He was found guilty of serious professional misconduct for actions he took while a researcher.

            His own actions, his own fault.

            I am not suggesting, I am stating clearly that Andrew Wakefield made a number of very irresponsible statements which caused unwarranted fear in millions of parents.

            “Even the idea that Wakefield was or is planning to collect on a patent application on which his name does not appear as an owner is simply crazy.”

            His name does appear on it. Have you not seen it? Inventors are usually given a share of the royalties for patents issued to academic institutions.

            “If he and the school were unaware of that application, then why didn’t they fire Wakefield? ”

            They eventually did. Really more for his other ethical lapses, though.

          • nin phan

            His name doesn’t appear as an applicant, it’s right here – http://briandeer.com/wakefield/vaccine-patent.htm

          • LBRB Sullivan

            “What he now believes personally and what he asserts in his research are two different things.”

            Not when he gives his opinions in press conferences held to promote his research. Not when he tells the public that there is “sufficient concern” to pull a triple vaccine at that press conference.

            He put the fear out there. He used his position as a researcher on the topic to do so. Sure, the press has a lot to answer for in helping him promote his fear, but he, Andrew Wakefield, is responsible for starting it.

          • LBRB Sullivan

            Read the comments below:

            “Yes, thanks to Dr Wakefield, my son was saved from further vaccine injury from the MMR which his Ped was pushing me to give him. ”

            Seems like his own supporters believe Andrew Wakefield was responsible for telling people about the supposed dangers of the MMR.

            How, exactly, did he do that if we aren’t supposed to listen to his personal opinions…even when given in the context of a press conference.

            The idea that his views put forth at that press conference were only “what he believes personally” is just not supported by the facts.

    • LBRB Sullivan

      The Wakefields felt strongly enough about the safety of the MMR to speak out publicly that they were avoiding it a few years after the Lancet paper:

      “Dr Wakefield’s wife, Carmel, told Panorama that their first two children were given the vaccine.

      “But then as Andy’s work was unfolding and the potential link to MMR and problems began to unfold, then we had to reappraise our policy on vaccinating our own children, so our second two children have not had MMR vaccination,” she said. ”

      From http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/1795534.stm

  • Anonymous

    The support for DR. Wakefield is unprecedented in the autism community that knows all too well what this man has been through because he dared to tell the truth. I know some of the parents whose children were his initial patients and they too are supportive of Dr. Wakefield. Those outside the autism community have only to go on the media-induced incendiary comments which have nothing to do with the truth. This case is necessary and should flesh out what the rest of us already know.

    • LBRB Sullivan

      As a part of the autism community, I take issue with the above statement.

      A small, vocal subset of the autism community looks the other way when it comes to Andrew Wakefield’s serious misconduct.

      I do not.

      • Anonymous

        We are not a small subset of the autism community. We are the majority in every way. We are the parents who know that our children were vaccine injured. We are also the parents who know that it is up to us to be the difference by employing any and all means to find the answers for our children. And our children are recovering thanks to our efforts, and the brave doctors like Dr. Wakefield.

        Even the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) knows what we do. Their study suggests these kids are recovering at a higher rate than thought:

        http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/08/autism-study-suggests-chi_n_200291.html

        Again, I share the opinion of the majority in the autism community and our numbers are growing.

        • LBRB Sullivan

          A study out last year showed that only 20% of autism parents believed in vaccine causation.

          That’s believe that is possible, not believe that their own children were injured.

  • Anonymous

    Response to LBRB’s comments below:

    The fact that supporters made a connection that Wakefield did not assert is not Wakefield’s fault. He stated what the research showed. Anything else would have been dishonest.

    Wakefield did not give those opinions until AFTER he had been removed from the register – AFTER his career had been ruined. He was the consummate professional before then, never stating anything beyond what his research showed. That he’s giving his personal views now is NOT relevant.

    Wakefield is entitled to say what he believes. To suggest that it’s all right to crucify him for that is to believe in punishment for thought crimes. The fact is that he went above and beyond the call of duty as long as he was in the role of a doctor under the UK system. To expect him to keep his mouth shut now is patently absurd.

    Suggesting that the school “eventually” fired him is lame. If Wakefield had done something as extreme as Zuckerman claimed, he’d have been fired outright, or at the very least reprimanded within an inch of his life. It’s beyond credibility that Zuckerman was unaware – unless he simply paid no attention to what went on in general. How on earth could Wakefield hope to get any money out of the school if the school was unaware of what he’d done? If the school was unaware, then there’d have been no agreement between the school and Wakefield to recompense him for his efforts. To try to denounce Wakefield on this basis is ludicrous. Zuckerman, or his assignees, would have to have known if Wakefield had hoped to profit from the patent. That inner conflict in the argument is rather humorous.

    You have not proven your points. And belaboring them would be as absurd as the suggestion that Wakefield doesn’t have the right to state his opinion, as you’ve just asserted. Addressing the facts of the case – not the maunderings of Deer’s claims, but the actual facts – is welcome. Attacking someone for thought crimes and speaking his mind after his career has been destroyed is not.

  • Anonymous

    MY my you have been busy Sullivan; just make sure that BOTH sides of your brain are in sync. As a mother, Carmel was doing what she considered to be best for her children, as indeed ANY informed parent would do. Dr Wakefield’s advice to parents and the UK Government was to return to the vaccine schedule in use for 20 years prior to the introduction of MMR in 1988. This was single measles vaccine for ALL infants and single rubella vaccine for pre-pubescent girls. At that time vaccination against mumps was considered unnecessary; indeed the official thinking was that mumps was best ‘got over with’ in infancy, since it causes sterility in adult males.

    One of my grandsons was referred to Professor Walker-Smith’s London Royal Free Hospital clinic for diagnosis and treatment of his bowel disease after he regressed into autism and physical ill health shortly after receiving the MMR vaccine 18 years ago. There was no way that his wee brother was getting this vaccine, so instead we spent a small fortune on private single vaccines for measles mumps and rubella, not to mention a lot of travelling and accommodation expenses. It was well worth it. I am quite sure that Carmel, and former Prime Minister Tony Blair, did exactly the same.

    • LBRB Sullivan

      By putting that in an interview, she was going beyond being a mother. She was a spokesperson for Andrew Wakefield’s views. She added to the unfounded fear of MMR.

      The irony of Wakefield’s call for single vaccines is that it led to the imporation of Urabe strain mumps vaccines. This is the vaccine which Mr. Wakefield was warned about by a whistleblower (which Mr. Wakefield later outed against his wishes).

      “At that time vaccination against mumps was considered unnecessary”

      Simply not true, or a combined vaccine would not have been adopted.

      Is there a reason for the personal attacks you begin your comment with?

  • Anonymous

    I don’t make personal attacks on anonymous persons Sullivan; I was just giving you some metaphorical advice to think before you blog, based on your stated LBRB webpage credentials. I am sure you would not want to DELIBERATELY mislead Gaia health readers, now would you? I will deal with each of your points in turn:-

    “The irony of Wakefield’s call for single vaccines is that it led to the importation of Urabe strain mumps vaccines. This is the vaccine which Mr. Wakefield was warned about by a whistleblower.”

    The Urabe mumps containing MMR vaccines, Pluserix and Immravax, were in use in the UK between 1988 and 1992 before it was banned. As you correctly pointed out, the UK Government was warned beforehand about this dangerous vaccine which was already banned in Canada, but they introduced it anyway AND refused to withdraw it even though UK GP’s and health personnel repeatedly warned about the havoc it was causing, including widespread meningitis, seizures and encephalitis. I cannot include the urls from the Scottish newspapers, which reported this in May 2010, under the 20 year rule, because they have been archived, but I have the original newspaper cuttings in my possession. Incidently, this unsafe vaccine was banned in the UK SIX YEARS before the 1998 Wakefield et al Lancet article. Excess stocks of Pluserix were sold to South America and caused havoc there as well!

    I simply DON’T understand what you mean about Wakefield being responsible for the Urabe MMR fiasco? As far as I am aware the single mumps vaccine, Urabe containing or not, had a good safety record.

    “At that time vaccination against mumps was considered unnecessary”

    “Simply not true, or a combined vaccine would not have been adopted.”

    You have misunderstood me. I am talking about a time long before the introduction of the MMR in the UK. The single measles vaccination was introduced in the late 1960′s and the single rubella for girls a few years later. Obviously official thinking changed during the late 1980′s ‘, when the UK government ‘in its wisdom’ decided to give the infants three live viruses at once!!

  • Mrdlos

    Thank you Dr. Wakfield!   It is so sad that our world is so corrupt and big business will do anything for profit!    Parents need to make an informed choice.  The only way to do that is to read everything before you put in your body via vaccine or mouth.  You can not trust the CDC and FDA to look out for your health.

  • http://vitamind3info.blogspot.com/ Adrian

    Some Info on Autism and its causes here.
    http://harveyalexander.weebly.com/autism.html

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