2000 Simpsonwood CDC conference: Difference between revisions
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The '''2000 Simpsonwood CDC conference''' (officially titled '''Scientific Review of Vaccine Safety Datalink Information''') was a meeting convened in June 2000 by the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] (CDC), held at the Simpsonwood Methodist retreat and conference center in [[Norcross, Georgia]]. The key event at the conference was the presentation of data from the [[Vaccine Safety Datalink]] examining the possibility of a link between the mercury compound [[thiomersal|thimerosol]] in vaccines and neurological problems in children who had received those vaccines. |
The '''2000 Simpsonwood CDC conference''' (officially titled '''Scientific Review of Vaccine Safety Datalink Information''') was a meeting convened in June 2000 by the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] (CDC), held at the Simpsonwood Methodist retreat and conference center in [[Norcross, Georgia]]. The key event at the conference was the presentation of data from the [[Vaccine Safety Datalink]] examining the possibility of a link between the mercury compound [[thiomersal|thimerosol]] in vaccines and neurological problems in children who had received those vaccines. |
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A 2005 article by [[Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.]], published by ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' and [[Salon.com]], focused on the Simpsonwood meeting as part of a conspiracy to withhold or falsify vaccine-safety information. |
A 2005 article by [[Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.]], published by ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' and [[Salon.com]], focused on the Simpsonwood meeting as part of a conspiracy to withhold or falsify vaccine-safety information. Kennedy's article was ultimately retracted by Salon.com in a move harshly criticized by Salon.com's founding editor.<ref>[[#Offit-2008|Offit 2008]]: pp. 94–95</ref><ref name="salon-retraction"/><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.robertfkennedyjr.com/articles/SalonRetraction_042415.html | title = Why Salon Retracted My 2005 “Deadly Immunity” Article | first = Robert F. | last = Kennedy Jr. | accessdate = November 3, 2015}}</ref> |
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== Conference details == |
== Conference details == |
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Presentations and supporting documents from the conference were subject to a [[news embargo]] until June 21, 2000, at which point they were published by the ACIP.<ref>[[#transcript|Transcript]]: pp. 256–257</ref> After the conference, researchers carried out a planned second phase to further analyze and clarify the study's preliminary findings. The results of this second analysis were published in 2003.<ref name="Verstraeten 2004">{{cite journal|url=http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/113/4/932 |journal=Pediatrics |issn=1098-4275 |oclc=38589589 |title=Thimerosal, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and GlaxoSmithKline |volume=113 |issue=4 |page=932 |author=Verstraeten T |date=April 2004 |accessdate=May 14, 2009|pmid=15060252|doi=10.1542/peds.113.4.932}}</ref> |
Presentations and supporting documents from the conference were subject to a [[news embargo]] until June 21, 2000, at which point they were published by the ACIP.<ref>[[#transcript|Transcript]]: pp. 256–257</ref> After the conference, researchers carried out a planned second phase to further analyze and clarify the study's preliminary findings. The results of this second analysis were published in 2003.<ref name="Verstraeten 2004">{{cite journal|url=http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/113/4/932 |journal=Pediatrics |issn=1098-4275 |oclc=38589589 |title=Thimerosal, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and GlaxoSmithKline |volume=113 |issue=4 |page=932 |author=Verstraeten T |date=April 2004 |accessdate=May 14, 2009|pmid=15060252|doi=10.1542/peds.113.4.932}}</ref> |
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== Corruption allegations == |
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== In the anti-vaccination movement == |
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The June 20, 2005 issue of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' contained an article written by [[Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.]] entitled "Deadly Immunity". The article, which was also published on [[Salon.com]], focused on the Simpsonwood conference and alleged that government and private industry had colluded to "thwart the Freedom of Information Act" and "withhold" vaccine-safety findings from the public.<ref name="Kennedy">{{cite news |work=Rolling Stone | first = Robert | last = Kennedy | authorlink = Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. | title = Deadly Immunity | date = June 20, 2005}}</ref> Kennedy claimed that |
The June 20, 2005 issue of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' contained an article written by [[Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.]] entitled "Deadly Immunity". The article, which was also published on [[Salon.com]], focused on the Simpsonwood conference and alleged that government and private industry had colluded to "thwart the Freedom of Information Act" and "withhold" vaccine-safety findings from the public.<ref name="Kennedy">{{cite news |work=Rolling Stone | first = Robert | last = Kennedy | authorlink = Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. | title = Deadly Immunity | date = June 20, 2005}}</ref> Kennedy claimed that data discussed at Simpsonwood linked thimerosal in vaccines to the rise in autism, but that the lead researcher later "reworked his data to bury the link between thimerosal and autism."<ref name="Kennedy"/> |
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In 2011, Salon.com claimed that since-corrected errors in the piece "went far in undermining Kennedy’s exposé", and that at the time they chose not to retract the piece in the interest of transparency.<ref name="salon-retraction"/> The magazine retracted the piece in January 2011 with the editors saying that criticisms of the article and clear flaws in the science connecting autism and vaccines undermined the value of the article.<ref name="salon-retraction">{{Cite news |url=http://www.salon.com/about/inside_salon/2011/01/16/dangerous_immunity/ |title=Correcting our record |quote=At the time, we felt that correcting the piece—and keeping it on the site, in the spirit of transparency—was the best way to operate. But subsequent critics […] further eroded any faith we had in the story's value. We've grown to believe the best reader service is to delete the piece entirely. |first=Kerry | last = Lauerman |date=January 1, 2011 |accessdate=August 3, 2011 |journal=[[Salon.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.robertfkennedyjr.com/articles/SalonRetraction_042415.html | title = Why Salon Retracted My 2005 “Deadly Immunity” Article | first = Robert F. | last = Kennedy Jr. | accessdate = November 3, 2015}}</ref> Salon.com's founding editor-in-chief [[David Talbot]] characterized the move as "Throwing a writer to the wolves" in an April 2015 letter to Kennedy.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kennedy Jr. |first=Robert F. |title=Thimerosal: Let the Science Speak: The Evidence Supporting the Immediate Removal of Mercury—a Known Neurotoxin—from Vaccines |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing |date=September 1, 2015 |pages=411-412 |chapter=Chapter 34: Salon's Retraction of 'Deadly Immunity' and Press Censorship |isbn=978-1634504423}}</ref> |
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By the time the final study results discussed at Simpsonwood were published in 2003, the lead researcher, Thomas Verstraeten, had gone to work for [[GlaxoSmithKline]].<ref name="Verstraeten 2004" /> Kennedy contended that the delay in publication gave Verstraeten sufficient time to fix the data around the CDC's alleged objective of obscuring a link between thimerosal and autism. Verstraeten denied the allegations, and published an account of the matter in the journal ''[[Pediatrics (journal)|Pediatrics]]''.<ref name="Verstraeten 2004" /> |
By the time the final study results discussed at Simpsonwood were published in 2003, the lead researcher, Thomas Verstraeten, had gone to work for [[GlaxoSmithKline]].<ref name="Verstraeten 2004" /> Kennedy contended that the delay in publication gave Verstraeten sufficient time to fix the data around the CDC's alleged objective of obscuring a link between thimerosal and autism. Verstraeten denied the allegations, and published an account of the matter in the journal ''[[Pediatrics (journal)|Pediatrics]]''.<ref name="Verstraeten 2004" /> |
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In September 2007, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions rejected allegations of impropriety against Verstraeten and the CDC. |
In September 2007, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions rejected allegations of impropriety against Verstraeten and the CDC. The Committee argued that: "Instead of hiding the [Simpsonwood] data or restricting access to it, CDC distributed it, often to individuals who had never seen it before, and solicited outside opinion regarding how to interpret it. The transcript of these discussions was made available to the public."<ref name="Senate 2007">{{cite web|url=http://help.senate.gov/Min_press/autism.pdf |format=PDF |author=Enzi MB |authorlink=Mike Enzi |publisher=U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions |title=Thimerosal and Autism Spectrum Disorders: Alleged Misconduct by Government Agencies and Private Entities |accessdate=May 14, 2009|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20090327063553/http://help.senate.gov/Min_press/autism.pdf |archivedate = March 27, 2009|deadurl=yes |date=September 2007}} </ref> Kennedy noted that Simpsonwood attendees came on private invitation by the CDC and that the transcripts were made available by a request through the [[Freedom of Information Act]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.robertfkennedyjr.com/articles/deadly_immunity.2005.html | title = Deadly Immunity | first = Robert F. | last = Kennedy Jr. | date = June 16, 2005 | accessdate = November 3, 2015}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Revision as of 00:25, 4 November 2015
The 2000 Simpsonwood CDC conference (officially titled Scientific Review of Vaccine Safety Datalink Information) was a meeting convened in June 2000 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), held at the Simpsonwood Methodist retreat and conference center in Norcross, Georgia. The key event at the conference was the presentation of data from the Vaccine Safety Datalink examining the possibility of a link between the mercury compound thimerosol in vaccines and neurological problems in children who had received those vaccines.
A 2005 article by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., published by Rolling Stone and Salon.com, focused on the Simpsonwood meeting as part of a conspiracy to withhold or falsify vaccine-safety information. Kennedy's article was ultimately retracted by Salon.com in a move harshly criticized by Salon.com's founding editor.[1][2][3]
Conference details
In 1997, the Congress of the United States passed a resolution requiring the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to review the thimerosal content of approved drugs and biologics. The Simpsonwood conference was held to perform this review. At the conference, representatives from the CDC, the FDA, and the pharmaceutical industry held two days of discussion, focusing on adverse event data derived from the Vaccine Safety Datalink. Three vaccines of primary interest were discussed: hepatitis B vaccine, DPT vaccine, and the Hib vaccine.
The attendees included experts in the fields of autism, pediatrics, toxicology, epidemiology and vaccines.[4] Also in attendance were approximately half a dozen public-health organisations and pharmaceutical companies, as well as eleven consultants to the CDC, a rapporteur, and a statistician.[5] The meeting also served as a prelude to vaccine policy meetings held by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which sets U.S. vaccine policy for the CDC. The session was also to serve as the initial meeting of the ACIP work group on thimerosal and immunization.[6]
Presentations and supporting documents from the conference were subject to a news embargo until June 21, 2000, at which point they were published by the ACIP.[7] After the conference, researchers carried out a planned second phase to further analyze and clarify the study's preliminary findings. The results of this second analysis were published in 2003.[8]
Corruption allegations
The June 20, 2005 issue of Rolling Stone contained an article written by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. entitled "Deadly Immunity". The article, which was also published on Salon.com, focused on the Simpsonwood conference and alleged that government and private industry had colluded to "thwart the Freedom of Information Act" and "withhold" vaccine-safety findings from the public.[9] Kennedy claimed that data discussed at Simpsonwood linked thimerosal in vaccines to the rise in autism, but that the lead researcher later "reworked his data to bury the link between thimerosal and autism."[9]
In 2011, Salon.com claimed that since-corrected errors in the piece "went far in undermining Kennedy’s exposé", and that at the time they chose not to retract the piece in the interest of transparency.[2] The magazine retracted the piece in January 2011 with the editors saying that criticisms of the article and clear flaws in the science connecting autism and vaccines undermined the value of the article.[2][10] Salon.com's founding editor-in-chief David Talbot characterized the move as "Throwing a writer to the wolves" in an April 2015 letter to Kennedy.[11]
By the time the final study results discussed at Simpsonwood were published in 2003, the lead researcher, Thomas Verstraeten, had gone to work for GlaxoSmithKline.[8] Kennedy contended that the delay in publication gave Verstraeten sufficient time to fix the data around the CDC's alleged objective of obscuring a link between thimerosal and autism. Verstraeten denied the allegations, and published an account of the matter in the journal Pediatrics.[8]
In September 2007, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions rejected allegations of impropriety against Verstraeten and the CDC. The Committee argued that: "Instead of hiding the [Simpsonwood] data or restricting access to it, CDC distributed it, often to individuals who had never seen it before, and solicited outside opinion regarding how to interpret it. The transcript of these discussions was made available to the public."[12] Kennedy noted that Simpsonwood attendees came on private invitation by the CDC and that the transcripts were made available by a request through the Freedom of Information Act.[13]
See also
Notes
- ^ Offit 2008: pp. 94–95
- ^ a b c Lauerman, Kerry (January 1, 2011). "Correcting our record". Salon.com. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
At the time, we felt that correcting the piece—and keeping it on the site, in the spirit of transparency—was the best way to operate. But subsequent critics […] further eroded any faith we had in the story's value. We've grown to believe the best reader service is to delete the piece entirely.
- ^ Kennedy Jr., Robert F. "Why Salon Retracted My 2005 "Deadly Immunity" Article". Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- ^ Offit 2008: p. 91
- ^ Transcript: pp. 3–10
- ^ Transcript: p. 11
- ^ Transcript: pp. 256–257
- ^ a b c Verstraeten T (April 2004). "Thimerosal, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and GlaxoSmithKline". Pediatrics. 113 (4): 932. doi:10.1542/peds.113.4.932. ISSN 1098-4275. OCLC 38589589. PMID 15060252. Retrieved May 14, 2009.
- ^ a b Kennedy, Robert (June 20, 2005). "Deadly Immunity". Rolling Stone.
- ^ Kennedy Jr., Robert F. "Why Salon Retracted My 2005 "Deadly Immunity" Article". Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- ^ Kennedy Jr., Robert F. (September 1, 2015). "Chapter 34: Salon's Retraction of 'Deadly Immunity' and Press Censorship". Thimerosal: Let the Science Speak: The Evidence Supporting the Immediate Removal of Mercury—a Known Neurotoxin—from Vaccines. Skyhorse Publishing. pp. 411–412. ISBN 978-1634504423.
- ^ Enzi MB (September 2007). "Thimerosal and Autism Spectrum Disorders: Alleged Misconduct by Government Agencies and Private Entities" (PDF). U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 27, 2009. Retrieved May 14, 2009.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Kennedy Jr., Robert F. (June 16, 2005). "Deadly Immunity". Retrieved November 3, 2015.
References
- Offit, Paul A. (2008). Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search For a Cure. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-14636-4.
- "Scientific Review of Vaccine Safety Datalink Information June 7–8, 2000 (transcript); Thimerosal VSD study Phase I, 2000" (PDF). Retrieved April 8, 2010.[dead link] Hosted by SafeMinds, [citation needed]