The following is a letter that Kirkman Labs sent to its distributors. Kirkman Labs is one of the most frequently used sources for supplements used in the biomedical treatment of autism spectrum disorders.

Dec 30, 2009

Dear Kirkman Distributor,

It has come to Kirkman’s attention that a raw material supplier has been supplying Kirkman with substandard quality material that is higher in antimony content than what would be considered acceptable to the special needs community. Raw material supplier are actually not required to test for antimony levels routinely, so this problem did not come to our attention until a physician using Kirkman products brought the issue to our attention. We immediately had our laboratory research the issue which they quickly isolated and linked it to a specific raw material.

We have stopped using this material and have located and purchased a quality replacement which we will begin using immediately.

We are asking that if you have any of the following products which utilized this material in your inventory, that you destroy the products and request credit or replacement with new lots when they become available. Call Kirkman customer service to make these requests. The products involved include all lots of the following products:

1. Zinc Liquid Product #387/8 and 387/16
2. Super Nu-Thera w/o A and D Product #447/454
3. DMAE 50 mg. Chewable Product # 489/90
4. Super Nu-Thera Powder-Orange Product # 410/454
5. B Complex Powder Pro Support Product # 399/7
6. TMG w/ Folinic and B-12 Powder Product #413/4 and 389/250
7. Chewable Vitamin C Tablets Product #389/100 and 389/250

Kirkman regrets the inconvenience associated with this issue, but Kirkman will not compromise our quality standards that we have stood for throughout our existence.

Sincerely,

Larry Newman
COO Technical and Regulatory Affairs

Evidently the stevia in these products is the source of the higher than desired level of antimony. This information was not originally posted on the Kirkman Labs website but it was making the rounds on autism message boards. The Kirkman Labs website is now updated with this important information.

Autism Conferences of America is preparing for two upcoming autism conferences – one in Mesa, Arizona and one in NYC.

Back-to-School Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome Conference in Mesa, Arizona
This conference will be held at the Mesa Convention Center and feature an opening keynote address by Temple Grandin. Workshops will cover a variety of topics including a discussion of psychiatric medications and an examination of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for autism.

Educating & Healing Children with Autism in NYC
The autism conference in NYC will feature a variety of workshops about biomedical treatments for autism spectrum disorders. Additionally, many well known autism biomedical writers will be in attendance including Kim Stagliano, David Kirby, and Dan Olmsted.