In Britain a doctor was banned from practising after falsely claiming that the triple vaccine used against measles, mumps and rubella might cause autism.

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Mr Blair told MPs the triple vaccine had been cleared by independent bodies including the British Medical Association and was in use in 90 countries around the world.

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Then there was the refusal of the prime minister of the time, Tony Blair, to state whether his son Leo had received the triple vaccine - on the grounds that this would invade their child's right to privacy - which added to the controversy.

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The widespread rise in measles across Britain followed now discredited research suggesting the triple MMR vaccine could have been linked to autism.

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But selling only in India and mainly to the government wasn't a very profitable business. (A DTP vaccine might sell for three cents a dose in India, as mandated by the government, but triple the price in the export market.) So Poonawalla shifted course.

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