Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa and Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire (File photos from Malacañang and the Department of Health)
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) has advised the public against buying medical products that it supposedly endorses as it also warned that it will take action against the people behind these false claims.
“The DOH reiterates that any such endorsements are fake, misleading, and unauthorized by the department or any of its affiliate organizations,” it said in a statement on Monday. It also stressed that the agency “does not engage in the promotion or endorsement of specific brands or commercial products.”
The DOH made the disclaimer after it discovered that some commercial products, “including milk or other supplements,” were being advertised as approved by the department.
“The DOH states that criminal charges may be pressed if related posts persist,” it warned as it advised the public to get their information only from legitimate sources and platforms.
Herbosa not spared
While the agency did not list the products claiming to have received its approval, a search on social media showed several medicines and supplements claiming to be “endorsed” both by the DOH and its attached regulator, the Food and Drug Administration.
In November last year, the DOH clarified that neither the agency nor Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa was promoting a product for osteoarthritis.
This was after a fake page named “DOH – Philippine” posted a link to an online shop with the domain name FDASHOP.ONLINE, featuring a photo of Herbosa.
The page claimed that the “DOH was surprised to discover the main cause of osteoarthritis.”
The website was selling a powdered milk drink, which it claimed minimizes osteoporosis and osteoarthritis and helps restore and protect muscle-bone mass, among others.
In January and July last year, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, then the DOH officer in charge, also fell victim after several posts showed her supposedly being interviewed on a television news network and promoting a supposed cure for hypertension.
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This prompted the DOH to remind the public that noncommunicable diseases and comorbidities like heart disease and hypertension could only be prevented by “practicing healthy habits and a healthy lifestyle such as proper diet and exercise, among others.”
It also urged the public to get regular checkups and consult with their doctors to detect and keep various illnesses at bay.