The headline on the press release last week was hard to miss: “Study Finds No Link Between Autism and Thimerosal in Vaccines”

Not surprisingly, this was picked up by the news media, especially after it traveled around the Internet. But the study, which is being published in the American Journal of Medical Genetics, didn’t actually examine vaccines. Instead, the study looked at Rh immune globulin products that, like vaccines, used thimerosal as a preservative.

Rh immune globulin is given to some women, depending on blood type, during pregnancy. The injections are used to prevent a condition that causes a fetus’ red blood cells from being attacked by antibodies produced by the mother.

Until six years ago, the most widely used Rh immune globulin product containing thimerosal as a preservative was Rhogam. The med, which no longer contains thimerosal, is made by Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, a unit of Johnson & Johnson. The study and the abstract note that J&J provided financing, but the press release doesn’t indicate any connection.

Moreover, the lead author, Judith Miles of the University of Missouri at Columbia, served as a paid expert witness in a Rhogam lawsuit last year on behalf of the J&J unit. This was confirmed by an Ortho spokesman and Miles acknowledged that she provided testimony. The lawsuit, by the way, was dismissed in Ortho’s favor, although others may still be filed.

“Due to the statute of limitations, the company continues to face potentially thousands of lawsuits,” says Robert Krakow, a lawyer based in Lake Success, NY, who represents parents with both vaccine and Rh immue globulin lawsuits. He’s also president of Advocates for Children’s Health Affected by Mercury Poisoning.

In other words, the study - which gives Rhogam a clean bill of health - could be waved around in court by J&J’s Ortho unit to defend against lawsuits.

For her part, Miles, who approved the press release, over the weekend promised the headline would be changed. On Monday, it read: “Exposure to mercury preservatives before birth is no higher in children with autism.” But that could still be interpreted, by some, as referring to vaccines. And the press release continues to circulate without any mention of the corporate sponsorship, which is misleading.

In response to questions about the J&J funding and her role as an expert witness, Miles wrote: “This was a small and relatively simple study and funding was not likely from NIH….I was deposed as an expert witness and yes, I always charge for my preparation and face to face time when I testify. That is standard for all expert testimony.”

Meanwhile, Sallie Bernard, executive director of SafeMinds, an advocacy group devoted to banning the use of mercury in medical products, says the study is poorly designed and that her group plans to issue a detailed critique later this week. We shall see.

This episode is a lesson in spin. It’s not enough to say a study or abstract carries funding info. Press releases are often the first thing the media - and in this Internet age - much of the public will see, especially when some medical journals require paid subscriptions. Moreover, full disclosure is required - nowhere is it mentioned that Miles was a paid expert for J&J.

Here’s the Download file“>study.
SafeMinds statement;[tags]Johnson & Johnson, Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Rhogam, Thimerosal, Vaccines[/tags]