From the
Sunday Mail, December 23rd 2001 - by Lucy Johnston and Geoff Marsh
Parents of autistic
children reacted furiously last night as it emerged that some of the experts
who persuaded the Government that the MMR vaccine is safe are paid by the drug
companies that make it.
A leading parents' group
claimed there was "clearly a potential conflict of interest" and that
the experts should not have been allowed to advise the government.
The specialists gave
evidence to the Medical Research Council, which was asked by the Department of
Health in March to establish if there was a link between child autism and the
measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.
The MRC found there was no
risk, backing repeated Government claims that the vaccine is safe. But the
parents, who have launched legal action against drug firms Aventis Pasteur,
Merck and Co and Glaxo SmithKline, are furious.
Jackie Fletcher, who
represents parents' group Jabs, said: "Either they are independent experts
or they are acting for the manufacturers. They cannot do both."
The experts properly
disclosed their interests and there is no suggestion that any of the evidence
they gave was actually biased.
One of those involved,
Professor Eric Fombonne, is a consultant for Aventis Pasteur in its legal fight
against autistic children's families. Also involved were Professor Bert Rima,
from Queen's University, Belfast, who is working for Merck and Co, and
Professor Ian Sanderson, from Queen Mary's University of London, who is
carrying out work for Aventis Pasteur.
Professor Sir Michael
Rutter, who is being paid to provide reports to help Glaxo SmithKline, was one
of the seven "external expert advisers" who helped guide the course
of the MMR enquiry. He insisted he had not been influenced by his connection
with the company. He said: "When there are major issues of this kind to
analyse it involves people in the field and inevitably there will be conflicts
of interest. It is only unacceptable if these are kept secret."
Earlier this month it was
revealed that Professor Eve Johnstone, chairwoman of the group reviewing the
MMR vaccine, owns shares worth £10,000 in Glaxo SmithKline. A spokeswoman for
the MRC said: "Any declarations were made openly at the beginning of our
review and it wasn't judged that any of the experts had a conflict of
interest."
© Lucy Johnston and
Geoff Marsh
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