British Doctor Faked Data Linking Vaccines to Autism, and Aimed to Profit From It
Hypodermic Needle stevendepolo via Flickr The British scientist responsible for starting the autism-MMR vaccine hoax not only falsified his data, but sought to profit from it, according to a report published Tuesday in the British Medical Journal. Andrew Wakefield, who has been stripped of his medical license and whose study has since been retracted, explored business opportunities designed to capitalize on his fraudulent findings, according to the BMJ. The businesses were intended to earn huge sums of money in Britain and the U.S. - up to $40 million a year - by providing unique diagnostic services to test for the presence of measles in patients with Crohn's disease. Wakefield planned to develop his own supposedly safer vaccines after public fears were sufficiently stoked, according to the report, a two-part investigation by British investigative journalist Brian Deer. He outlines how Wakefield accepted fees from a lawyer who eventually filed (and lost)...