LONDON, UK: 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.

Britain's 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.

On July 15, 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 British government denied there was a problem with the vaccine and it became a politically sensitive issue after senior Labour figures, including the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, refused to disclose whether 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.

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 was now "no guarantee" that there would 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.

On July 15, 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."

On July 15, Dr Wakefield confirmed that no charges had been filed to date.

The news that he might not face charges was welcomed by Dr Wakefield's supporters. Jackie Fletcher, of the pressure group, Jabs, said: "It is appalling that they can have the power to hold this over someone's head for close on two years. It has been an absolute witch-hunt. All he was guilty of was listening to what parents said, clinically investigating the children and then reporting his findings. All he did was hold up a red flag and say, 'There's something going on that needs to be investigated further'."

Dr Wakefield's small-scale study was called into question when various larger surveys failed to find any evidence of a link between autism and the vaccine.

Last year, an analysis of 31 MMR studies by the respected Cochrane Library found no association between the jab and the condition, and the Government has repeatedly assured parents that it is safe to vaccinate their children.

However, the idea has refused to go away. Last month, a study by doctors in North Carolina reported finding measles in the intestines of children with a form of autism.
And last week, it was revealed that autism is at a record high with more than one in 100 children affected.

The GMC investigation into Dr Wakefield started in late 2004, when The Lancet publicly rejected his findings because he failed to reveal he received £55,000 in legal aid to carry out separate research for parents who claimed their children had been harmed by the jab.

Preliminary charges included failing to obtain GMC approval before his work appeared in print, obtaining funding "improperly" and subjecting children to "unnecessary and invasive investigations."

(Source: Mail on Sunday, July 16, 2006)