You may have seen today's report from CNN.com entitled "Doctor Defends Retracted Autism Study." The physician states that he received money not only from the British Medical Journal, but also the Sunday Times of London - where he has been employed since the early 1980s. This physician was stripped of his medical license in May.
I, along with other people, are trying to get people to let go and move on from the false assertion that vaccines are linked to autism. But, what will be the long term impact of not only this fraudulent study, but its affect on the public? On a daily basis, the press hammers physicians for accepting as much as a pen from pharmaceutical companies. Oh yeah, accepting even a pen is against the law. Maybe that's why I haven't seen anymore pharma pens around. Hmm...
This false study will not only help perpetuate the false perception that vaccines are linked to autism, but also will hamper announcements of any future medical studies, as the question of bias and "Who paid the doctor and research team?" will come up. Convincing an ever growing skeptical public will be tomorrow's challenges. And, unfortunately, will make taking care of patients for me and other physicians more difficult...