Poul Thorsen’s Arrest & The Fragile Foundation of Pharma’s Autism Narrative

Patrick Layton 
September 16, 2025  

For more than two decades, the pharmaceutical industry and its defenders in government have leaned heavily on a handful of studies to dismiss the link between vaccines and autism. At the center of that body of work stands recently-arrested federal fugitive Poul Thorsen, a Danish scientist whose research is still repeatedly cited in courtrooms, media reports, and even last week in a government hearing as evidence that vaccines are “safe.”

But Thorsen’s story reveals a disturbing truth: one of the most prominent figures used to silence vaccine concerns is himself a disgraced fugitive accused of defrauding U.S. taxpayers and falsifying documents.

The CDC Connection

From approximately 2004 to 2010, Thorsen was deeply involved in CDC-funded studies exploring autism, cerebral palsy, genetic disorders, and fetal alcohol syndrome. While working as a visiting scientist at the CDC’s Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, he helped secure multimillion-dollar grants funneled through Danish institutions such as Aarhus University and Odense University Hospital.

These studies—particularly those examining a possible link between vaccines and autism—became cornerstones of the pro-vaccine argument. When parents raised alarms about adverse reactions, when congressional hearings grew heated, and when lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers mounted, officials frequently pointed to Thorsen’s work in Denmark to declare the science “settled.”

The Fraud

According to U.S. authorities, during this very period, Thorsen was engaged in an elaborate scheme to steal CDC grant money for personal gain. By submitting fraudulent invoices on CDC letterhead and directing payments into his own bank account, he allegedly siphoned off more than $1 million.

The invoices gave the appearance that the CDC itself was requesting funds from Danish institutions, but the money was funneled directly to Thorsen. The charges read like a playbook of corruption: abuse of position, falsified documents, and brazen theft from a public health agency entrusted with safeguarding American children. Not once, not twice… but 22 counts.

The Significance

Thorsen’s alleged criminal behavior should raise serious questions about the credibility of the research he conducted and the system that continues to rely on it. How can studies produced under the shadow of financial fraud still serve as the bedrock of government claims about vaccine safety?

Even beyond Thorsen’s personal misconduct, his scandal illustrates a deeper issue: the public is asked to place blind trust in scientists and institutions whose incentives and oversight are deeply compromised. If the very researchers tasked with disproving harm from vaccines are also defrauding taxpayers, how can parents have confidence in the conclusions?

A New Chapter: An Inconvenient Study

As the credibility of past research crumbles, a newly uncovered study has rocked the debate even further. Conducted by Henry Ford Health—a staunchly pro-vaccine organization—the study set out to disprove journalist Del Bigtree’s suspicions that America’s chronic disease epidemic might be linked to vaccines.

But the results were so shocking that the institution buried them, hiding the findings from public view for years. The data suggested a powerful connection between vaccination and skyrocketing rates of chronic illness, a revelation that threatened to upend the very narrative used to assure the public of vaccine safety.

This hidden research has now come to light. The Henry Ford study is finally available to the public, and it forms the centerpiece of a groundbreaking new documentary, An Inconvenient Study. The film, set to premiere on October 3rd, exposes shocking data, and the lengths to which powerful institutions will go to hide that data, regardless of the cost to public health.

Why This Matters Now

Today, millions of parents worldwide are calling for more independent research on vaccines and autism—studies free from financial conflicts and political agendas. Instead, government agencies double down on citing work like Thorsen’s while suppressing damning evidence such as the Henry Ford study.

Poul Thorsen’s arrest is more than a personal disgrace. Combined with the revelations in An Inconvenient Study, as well as independent studies showing an association with harm,  it reveals a deeper crisis: the so-called “settled science” of vaccine safety rests not on transparency and integrity, but on a fragile foundation of fraud, suppression, and corruption.

The time has come to demand better—for our children, for our health, and for the future.

 

Source: https://thehighwire.com/editorial/poul-thorsens-arrest-the-fragile-foundation-of-pharmas-autism-narrative/