Scientists call Lupron autism treatment ‘junk science’
May 28th, 2009
From the Chicago Tribune:
A drug that is being marketed for the treatment of autism is being widely criticized by scientists who say it is unproven and potentially damaging.
Dr. Mark Geier and his son, David, (left) are promoting Lupron as a “miracle drug, ” but more than two dozen prominent endocrinologists dismissed the treatment earlier this year in a paper published online by the journal Pediatrics. The drug is sometimes used to chemically castrate sex offenders.
Said Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the Autism Research Center in Cambridge: “The idea of using it with vulnerable children with autism, who do not have a life-threatening disease and pose no danger to anyone, without a careful trial to determine the unwanted side effects or indeed any benefits, fills me with horror.”
See also:
Physician team’s crusade shows cracks – Chicago Tribune
(Chicago Tribune photo)

