This page is material from the award-winning investigation by Brian Deer for The Sunday Times of London, with spin-offs for a UK TV network and a top medical journal, which exposed vaccine research cheat Andrew Wakefield | Summary | Read the book

If it doesn’t work, buy more

After parting company with London’s Royal Free medical school in December 2001, Andrew Wakefield joined the self-styled International Child Development Resource Center in Melbourne, Florida, as “director of research”. Among other things, this enterprise sold a range of unproven products for autistic children, including an enzyme mixture, Sea Buddies Concentrate! Focus Formula, described by its “medical director”, Dr Jeff Bradstreet, as “Physician-developed formula to support healthy focus and attentiveness in children”

In 2004, Brian Deer bought 60 capsules for £21.15 from Bradstreet’s business and, on checking the directions learnt that, if they don’t work, Bradstreet recommends upping the dose, until parents could be spending £1,000 a year in Sea Buddies alone. Of course, the product states that claims on the label have not been evaluated by the FDA, and that it “is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease”

Sea Buddies scam

Above are a few of the many odd and pricey products sold to parents of autistic children by the Bradstreet-Wakefield Florida enterprise, called ICDRC. Below is the label text from Sea Buddies, apparently Bradstreet’s brainchild:

Sea Buddies Concentrate! was developed in conjunction with Jeff Bradstreet MD, a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, who has devoted his practice to the special learning needs of children.

Sea Buddies Concentrate! is a high-potency formula that helps support healthy focus and concentration in children. This formula supports brain health at a cellular level and overall health in the central nervous system. It also promotes a relaxed state without diminishing daytime alertness and enhances detoxification processes.

Recommendations: Begin with two capsules daily and monitor focus and concentration levels. If needed, increase dose until desired results are achieved, repeating this dosage as needed throughout the day. Do not exceed ten capsules daily unless directed by a health care practitioner. Capsules may be opened and mixed with your child’s food or beverage. Not recommended for children under four years old.


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