Dr. Andrew Wakefield arrives in London on July 16, 2007 to face a disciplinary panel investigating allegations of misconduct. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)

(CBS/AP) Dr. Andrew Wakefield is either the victim of  “a ruthless, pragmatic attempt to crush any attempt to investigate valid vaccine safety concerns” as he describes it or a huckster paid by lawyers in 1998 to falsify an autism study to make it appear vaccines were to blame for the disorder. the lawyers later sued the vaccine makers.

The huckster version of events is described in a British Medical Journal piece released this month which rips apart Wakefield’s study and his motivation for writing it.

“Such clear evidence of falsification of data should now close the door on this damaging vaccine scare,” said BMJ’s editor-in-chief Dr. Fiona Godlee in a statement.

The 1998 study, which appeared in the prestigious British journal the Lancet, was groundbreaking when it came out. Wakefield examined 12 children with regressive autism – they were developing normally and then went awry. Wakefield said their symptoms appeared soon after receiving a vaccination for measles mumps and rubella called an MMR. In rich nations, almost all children receive the shot.

Wakefield, a gastroenterologist, hypothesized that the vaccine caused both the autism symptoms and gut problems.

Parents with autistic children, desperate to find it’s cause and a cure, quickly rallied around Wakefield’s study. Vaccination rates dropped in Britain as well as the United States. New cases of measles rose.

And so did the cases of autism or at least its diagnosis.

Later studies tried to replicate Wakefield’s findings, but could not. Debate raged about the root causes of autism.

But the BMJ investigation by journalist Brian Deer found that five of the 12 children in Wakefield’s paper had symptoms before the MMR shots. one girl turned out to have a heart disorder. her symptoms disappeared after it was treated. the report claims three of the children turned out to not have autism at all and only one was eventually diagnosed with the regressive form of it described in Wakefield’s paper.

The report also alleges that Wakefield falsified timeliness and when investigators showed Wakefield’s study to parents of the children involved, some claimed he misrepresented their stories.

Perhaps most damagingly, the report claims Wakefield developed his autism vaccine theory only after he was hired by lawyers planning to sue vaccine makers. BMJ claims he was paid more than half-a-million dollars for his efforts.

On Wednesday, Wakefield fired back. Speaking to CNN’s Anderson Cooper, he claimed the report’s author was “a hit man who has been brought in to take me down” by big pharma.

According to the network, Deer signed a disclosure form claiming he has no financial interest in the matter, but freely admits he was paid by BMJ for his reporting.

“That’s what journalists do,” he told CNN.

Last year, the Lancet formally retracted Wakefield’s study. ten of the 13 authors had earlier done the same.  Wakefield has since been stripped of his medical license in Britain.

But for Wakefield’s supports, the battle drags on.

“I cannot imagine for a second that Dr. Wakefield would have any reason to falsify data,” Wendy Fournier, president of the National Autism Association, told CNN. “He’s a man of integrity and honesty and truly wants to find the answers for millions of children who have been affected by autism.”

Welcome solution: Eating chocolate could cure a persistent cough

Chocolate could provide the key to tackling a persistent cough, researchers claim.

They are carrying out the final stages of clinical trials on a drug that contains theobromine, an ingredient naturally present in cocoa and chocolate.

If the trials are successful, the drug could be on the market within two years.

More than seven million Britons suffer from a persistent cough, defined as one that lasts for more than two weeks.

Some have asthma-like symptoms while others suffer from heartburn.

But most widely available cough products soothe the symptoms rather than deal with the cause, and have been criticised for side effects such as drowsiness.

There are safety concerns about side effects from other products that are codeine-based, which use a chemical called an opioid.

Previous research by London’s National Heart and Lung Institute found that theobromine is 33 per cent more effective than codeine at stopping coughing. It works directly on the vagus nerve, which is responsible for persistent coughing.

Research in South Korea has shown that theobromine has none of the side effects associated with standard drug treatments for persistent cough.

Professor Alyn Morice, a leading expert in the treatment of cough who is head of the Hull Cough Clinic, said: ‘Thousands of people across the UK suffer from persistent cough, and due to the drawbacks of current opioid drugs such as codeine, we are in desperate need of a non-opioid treatment with a drastically improved side effect profile for patients.’

PAYING a HIGH PRICE FOR YOUR HOT CHOCOLATE

The cost of hot chocolate drinks is set to soar, analysts predictedyesterday.

The industry has been hit by a record 32 per cent rise inthe price of cocoa powder this year.

A crop shortage and disruption tosupplies from the Ivory Coast because of a ‘chaotic’ general electionhave been blamed.

Chocolate bars and confectionery will not be affectedto the same extent, as they are made using cocoa butter, which has seena lesser rise of 11 per cent.

A research project set to begin next year will be the final phase of clinical trials of a drug called BC1036. the drug is being developed by SEEK, a leading UK privately-owned drug discovery group.

Manfred Scheske, CEO of consumer health at SEEK, said: ‘Persistent cough is a very common condition, often lasting for weeks after a viral infection. It can be difficult to treat, especially since it is not possible to give large doses of opiate-based medication to patients due to side-effect issues.

‘This drug has the potential to dramatically impact the treatment of persistent cough and could greatly benefit the quality of life of persistent cough sufferers.’