On Tuesday, the medical journal The Lancet formally retracted a controversial paper published in 1998 that had linked the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism. It had formed the basis for the argument that vaccines cause an increase risk of autism. The study was later discredited, and last week the lead author -- Dr. Andrew Wakefield -- was found to have acted unethically in his research.

Britain's General Medical Council, which oversees doctors in England, said that "there was a biased selection of patients in The Lancet paper" and added that his "conduct in this regard was dishonest and irresponsible." In addition, they found that Dr. Wakefield had subjected some children to various invasive procedures such as colonscopies and MRI scans, and paid children at his son's birthday party to have their blood drawn for research purposes.

Following the Council's findings last week, The Lancet retracted the study and issued a statement, which reads:

"It has become clear that several elements of the 1998 paper by Wakefield et al. are incorrect, contrary to the findings of an earlier investigation. In particular, the claims in the original paper that children were 'consecutively referred' and that investigations were 'approved' by the local ethics committee have been proven to be false. Therefore we fully retract this paper from the published record."

The Lancet's editor, Dr. Richard Horton, revealed that he reviewed the Council's report and commented:

"It's the most appalling catalog and litany of some the most terrible behavior in any research and is therefore very clear that it has to be retracted."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has praised the retraction, stating:

"It builds on the overwhelming body of research by the world's leading scientists that concludes there is no link between MMR vaccine and autism. We want to remind parents that vaccines are very safe and effective and they save lives. Parents who have questions about the safety of vaccines should talk to their pediatrician or their child's health care provider."

In light of the recent revelations, Wakefield issued a statement of his own denying any wrongdoing:

"The allegations against me and against my colleagues are both unfounded and unjust and I invite anyone to examine the contents of these proceedings and come to their own conclusion. In fact, the Lancet paper does not claim to confirm a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Research into that possible connection is still going on."