Brian Deer
Encyclopedia
Brian Deer is a British
investigative reporter, best known for inquiries into the drug industry, medicine and social issues for the Sunday Times
of London
.
, he became editor and press officer for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
, and was a member of The Leveller magazine collective. Subsequently he joined The Times
, then The Sunday Times, first as a business news subeditor and then as a staff news reporter and feature writer. In the 1980s, under Sunday Times editor Andrew Neil
, he was the UK's first social affairs correspondent, and between 1990 and 1992 reported from the United States.
, Australia, by scientist Professor Michael Briggs, employed by the German company Schering AG. In 1994, his investigation of The Wellcome Trust
led to the withdrawal in the UK of a blockbuster antibiotic, Septrin, Bactrim, and the sale of the trust's pharmaceutical subsidiary Wellcome Foundation. In 2005, the withdrawal of the Merck
painkiller Vioxx was followed by an investigation by Deer into the British medical chiefs behind the drug's introduction. In 2008, a celebrity psychiatrist, Raj Persaud
, was suspended from practising medicine and resigned his academic position after being found guilty of plagiarism
following a Deer investigation.
over the MMR vaccine
, their publication in The Lancet
medical journal in February 1998, and their chief proponent Andrew Wakefield
. Deer's investigation led to the longest-ever inquiry by the UK General Medical Council
. In January 2010, the GMC judged Wakefield to be "dishonest", "unethical" and "callous", and on 24 May 2010, he was struck off the UK medical register. Responding to Deer's findings, The Lancet partially retracted Wakefield's research in February 2004, and fully retracted it in February 2010 following the GMC findings. In 2011, Deer published his findings in the BMJ
with an endorsement by the editors.
Deer's television documentary: "MMR: What they didn't tell you", a one-hour Dispatches
documentary for Channel 4, first broadcast 18 November 2004, became the core subject of a libel case. Wakefield, who initiated the case, eventually dropped it, becoming liable for the costs incurred by Deer and the other defendants. Deer's documentary "The drug trial that went wrong", nominated for a Royal Television Society
journalism award, investigated the experimental monoclonal antibody TGN1412
.
for his investigations.
Deer was the 2009 Susan B Meister lecturer in child health policy at the University of Michigan
.
In February 2011, he was nominated for two further British Press Awards, in the categories of news reporter of the year and specialist journalist of the year, the latter of which he won on 5 April 2011.
In October 2011, Deer won the annual HealthWatch
award, previously awarded to Sir Iain Chalmers
, Professor David Colquhoun
, and other prominent British medical campaigners.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
investigative reporter, best known for inquiries into the drug industry, medicine and social issues for the Sunday Times
The Sunday Times (UK)
The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Career
After graduating in philosophy from the University of WarwickUniversity of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
, he became editor and press officer for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is an anti-nuclear organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty...
, and was a member of The Leveller magazine collective. Subsequently he joined The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, then The Sunday Times, first as a business news subeditor and then as a staff news reporter and feature writer. In the 1980s, under Sunday Times editor Andrew Neil
Andrew Neil
Andrew Ferguson Neil is a Scottish journalist and broadcaster.He currently works for the BBC, presenting the live political programmes The Daily Politics and This Week...
, he was the UK's first social affairs correspondent, and between 1990 and 1992 reported from the United States.
Investigations
One of Deer's early investigations caused uproar in the drug industry when in 1986 he revealed that research into the safety of the contraceptive pill was fabricated at Deakin UniversityDeakin University
Deakin University is an Australian public university with nearly 40,000 higher education students in 2010. It receives more than A$600 million in operating revenue annually, and controls more than A$1.3 billion in assets. It received more than A$35 million in research income in 2009 and had 835...
, Australia, by scientist Professor Michael Briggs, employed by the German company Schering AG. In 1994, his investigation of The Wellcome Trust
Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust was established in 1936 as an independent charity funding research to improve human and animal health. With an endowment of around £13.9 billion, it is the United Kingdom's largest non-governmental source of funds for biomedical research...
led to the withdrawal in the UK of a blockbuster antibiotic, Septrin, Bactrim, and the sale of the trust's pharmaceutical subsidiary Wellcome Foundation. In 2005, the withdrawal of the Merck
Merck & Co.
Merck & Co., Inc. , also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada, is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. The Merck headquarters is located in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, an unincorporated area in Readington Township...
painkiller Vioxx was followed by an investigation by Deer into the British medical chiefs behind the drug's introduction. In 2008, a celebrity psychiatrist, Raj Persaud
Raj Persaud
Rajendra Persaud , also known as Raj Persaud , born 13 May 1963, Reading, Berkshire is an English consultant psychiatrist, broadcaster, and author of popular books about psychiatry....
, was suspended from practising medicine and resigned his academic position after being found guilty of plagiarism
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
following a Deer investigation.
MMR vaccine controversy
In a series of reports between 2004 and 2010, Deer investigated concernsMMR vaccine controversy
The MMR vaccine controversy was a case of scientific misconduct which triggered a health scare. It followed the publication in 1998 of a paper in the medical journal The Lancet which presented apparent evidence that autism spectrum disorders could be caused by the MMR vaccine, an immunization...
over the MMR vaccine
MMR vaccine
The MMR vaccine is an immunization shot against measles, mumps, and rubella . It was first developed by Maurice Hilleman while at Merck in the late 1960s....
, their publication in The Lancet
The Lancet
The Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is one of the world's best known, oldest, and most respected general medical journals...
medical journal in February 1998, and their chief proponent Andrew Wakefield
Andrew Wakefield
Andrew Wakefield is a British former surgeon and medical researcher, known as an advocate for the discredited claim that there is a link between the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, autism and bowel disease, and for his fraudulent 1998 research paper in support of that claim.Four years after...
. Deer's investigation led to the longest-ever inquiry by the UK General Medical Council
General Medical Council
The General Medical Council registers and regulates doctors practising in the United Kingdom. It has the power to revoke or restrict a doctor's registration if it deems them unfit to practise...
. In January 2010, the GMC judged Wakefield to be "dishonest", "unethical" and "callous", and on 24 May 2010, he was struck off the UK medical register. Responding to Deer's findings, The Lancet partially retracted Wakefield's research in February 2004, and fully retracted it in February 2010 following the GMC findings. In 2011, Deer published his findings in the BMJ
BMJ
BMJ is a partially open-access peer-reviewed medical journal. Originally called the British Medical Journal, the title was officially shortened to BMJ in 1988. The journal is published by the BMJ Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Medical Association...
with an endorsement by the editors.
Deer's television documentary: "MMR: What they didn't tell you", a one-hour Dispatches
Dispatches (TV series)
Dispatches is the British television current affairs documentary series on Channel 4, first transmitted in 1987. The programme covers issues about British society, politics, health, religion, international current affairs and the environment, usually featuring a mole in an organisation.-Awards:*...
documentary for Channel 4, first broadcast 18 November 2004, became the core subject of a libel case. Wakefield, who initiated the case, eventually dropped it, becoming liable for the costs incurred by Deer and the other defendants. Deer's documentary "The drug trial that went wrong", nominated for a Royal Television Society
Royal Television Society
The Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world...
journalism award, investigated the experimental monoclonal antibody TGN1412
TGN1412
TGN1412 is the working name of an immunomodulatory drug which was withdrawn from development after inducing severe inflammatory reactions in the first human subjects to receive the drug....
.
Honours
Working for The Times and The Sunday Times Deer received several awards, including a British Press AwardBritish Press Awards
The British Press Awards is an annual ceremony that celebrates the best of British journalism. Established in the 1970s, honours are voted on by a panel of journalists and newspaper executives...
for his investigations.
Deer was the 2009 Susan B Meister lecturer in child health policy at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
.
In February 2011, he was nominated for two further British Press Awards, in the categories of news reporter of the year and specialist journalist of the year, the latter of which he won on 5 April 2011.
In October 2011, Deer won the annual HealthWatch
HealthWatch
HealthWatch is a long-established UK charity which promotes evidence-based medicine. Its formal aims are:# The assessment and testing of treatments, whether “orthodox” or “alternative”;...
award, previously awarded to Sir Iain Chalmers
Iain Chalmers
Sir Iain Chalmers is a British health services researcher, one of the founders of the Cochrane Collaboration, and coordinator of the James Lind Initiative, which includes the James Lind Library and James Lind Alliance....
, Professor David Colquhoun
David Colquhoun
David Colquhoun, FRS is a British pharmacologist at University College London . He has contributed to the general theory of receptor and synaptic mechanisms of single ion channel function. He previously held the A.J. Clark chair of Pharmacology at UCL, and was the Hon. Director of the Wellcome...
, and other prominent British medical campaigners.
External links
- briandeer.com - Deer's personal website
- Radio interview with Brian Deer on the MMR vaccine controversyMMR vaccine controversyThe MMR vaccine controversy was a case of scientific misconduct which triggered a health scare. It followed the publication in 1998 of a paper in the medical journal The Lancet which presented apparent evidence that autism spectrum disorders could be caused by the MMR vaccine, an immunization...
from CBC RadioCBC RadioCBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
's The Sunday EditionThe Sunday EditionFor the CBC Radio One radio show, see Sunday EditionThe Sunday Edition was a television programme broadcast on the ITV Network in the United Kingdom focusing on political interview and discussion, produced by London Weekend Television...