Calling it an "inadequately founded" research, Dr. Wakefield's initial Lancet paper has since been disowned by the journal.
The BBC reports, vaccination rates fell sharply after the doctor questioned the safety of MMR, raising fears of a measles epidemic.
Wakefield was being paid to see any evidence to support possible legal action by a group of parents who claimed their children were damaged by the vaccine. Some children were involved in both studies. In addition, ten doctors who co-authored the paper issued a statement in 2004 said there was insufficient evidence to draw the conclusion that the MMR vaccine was not safe.
Contrary to a host of major studies that have since failed to find any evidence of a link between MMR and autism, the paper said that MMR was linked not only to autism, but also to the bowel disorder Crohn's disease.
In the wake of this controversy, the uptake rate for MMR - a triple jab that protects against measles, mumps and rubella slumped since last few years, says BBC.
Though it has since picked up again, but remains low in some areas of the country, most notably London and resulting in an increase in the number of measles cases from 4,204 in 2003 to 56,390 in 2005.
Formulated by the GMC's lawyers, Wakefield will face four charges: that he published inadequately founded research, failed to obtain ethical committee approval for the work, obtained unding for it improperly, and subjected children to "unnecessary and invasive investigations", reports The Independent newspaper.
If found guilty, Wakefield faces having all of his medical privileges revoked
