Retracted NZ HPV vaccine study’s safety conclusions reached after ‘inverting the data’

The study claimed the HPV vaccine reduced preterm birth rates, when the opposite was likely.

Senior author Noelyn Hung of the University of Otago Medical School blamed an error ‘by a PhD student’ who ‘probably inverted the data set’.

An investigation into the study and the circumstances surrounding its retraction was published on Substack today by statistician Igor Chudov.

The 2018 study titled, ‘Association of prior HPV vaccination with reduced preterm birth: A population based study’ was pulled in 2020.

A Notice confirmed the action was taken at the request of its authors.

‘The authors report that there was an incorrect interpretation of the odds ratio meaning that instead of HPV vaccination potentially being protective, there may be an associated increased risk of preterm delivery.‘

However, when the authors tried to re-do the study, the Ministry of Health denied them access to the raw data, presumably because it showed the vaccine was ‘not safe and effective’, wrote Chudov.

The Ministry of Health continues to recommend HPV vaccination for 9-26 year olds. There is no information about the heightened preterm birth risk on the ministry’s website, although pregnancy is a listed as a ‘precaution’.

Undisclosed conflict of interest

Chudov also claimed lead author Professor Beverley Lawton did not disclose a significant conflict of interest – that she had received ‘educational and financial grants’ from CSL Biotherapies – the company which holds the rights to market and sell the vaccine in Australia and New Zealand.

According to global professional services consultancy Wolters Kluwer when the potential for bias is disclosed, readers are aware of the situation and will judge the research on its merits.

‘On the other hand, failure to disclose relevant financial/intellectual interests violates the public’s trust, and if such information is revealed subsequently, the credibility of the researchers and the journal that publishes the work may be seriously damaged.’

This latest vaccine data controversy comes as Ministry of Health whistleblower Barry Young appeared in court today on charges relating to his release of previously unseen health and excess death data relating to the COVID mRNA gene therapy marketed to the public as a ‘vaccine’, and amidst calls for greater transparency over Ministry of Health public health data.