After this, epidemiological studies were published that refuted Wakefield’s work. Ten of the 12 co-authors of the original paper would then go on to retract their previous interpretation of their data, saying that, ‘no causal link was established between MMR vaccine and autism as the data was insufficient.’ Additionally, the Lancet found that Wakefield had undeclared conflicting financial interests, having been funded by lawyers representing parents who were suing vaccine companies.
In 2010 the Lancet would completely retract the Wakefield paper, finding that several elements of the paper were incorrect, and holding Wakefield et al guilty of ethical violations and scientific misrepresentations.
Finally, the British Medical Journal would go on to publish a series of articles exposing that Wakefield and his team were guilty of deliberate fraud, having falsified facts and picked and chosen data that best suited their argument. It is believed that they did this for their own financial gain.
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The GMC found that Wakefield had been dishonest, acting in his own best interests rather than those of his patients, and that he had, ‘failed in his duties as a responsible consultant.’ Three months after this, Wakefield was finally struck off the UK Medical Register and was barred from ever again practising medicine in the UK. A UK court ruled at this time that, ‘there is now no respectable body of opinion which supports  [Dr. Wakefield’s] hypothesis, that MMR vaccine and autism/enterocolitis are causally linked.’ Nonetheless, Wakefield continues to hold sway in the ‘anti-vaxxer’ movement – a movement he essentially created himself.Â