Personal Injury Law Blog
Experimental Autism Therapy Costs Doctor His License in Illinois, Missouri
A doctor who has promoted a treatment for autistic children using a drug that suppresses testosterone has lost his license to practice medicine in Illinois and Missouri.
Dr. Mark Geier’s therapy involves injecting children with the drug Lupron, a hormone inhibitor that is sometimes employed to “chemically castrate” sex offenders. Experts said the therapy was not based on sound science.
Geier’s medical licenses in both Missouri and Illinois were revoked by authorities in those states, who cited similar action taken by the Maryland State Board of Physicians in August.
Geier and his son had opened a number of clinics to promote his Lupron-based therapy, which cost up to $6,000 per month. They hypothesized that high levels of testosterone are the cause of many symptoms of autism in children.
Lupron is used in the treatment of precocious puberty, a disease in which the onset of puberty occurs at an unusually early age.
The Maryland board characterized Geier’s Lupron therapy as “experimental” and said that it “constituted a substantial likelihood of a risk of serious harm to the public health, safety and welfare.” In July, they fined Geier $10,000 for practicing medicine without a license.
Geier’s attorneys claim that he is being unfairly targeted in retaliation for speaking out against the use of thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, in vaccines, and associating its use with a rise in autism rates.
Paul Greenberg is a Chicago medical malpractice lawyer and Chicago medical malpractice attorney with Briskman Briskman & Greenberg. To learn more call 1.877.595.4878 or visit https://www.briskmanandbriskman.com/.
