Impostors of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are circulating advertisements for a milk product that allegedly treats insomnia.
Since Sept. 18, two fraudulent FB pages bearing the same name – UP PGH Department of Medicine – posted ads for the product called Sleepal Gold Colostrum, which promises to cure insomnia and anxiety. The caption of the Nov. 1 posts read:
“Warning from the Philippine Department of Health about Insomnia Symptoms in People Over 30. If you frequently experience difficulty falling asleep, despite your efforts, easily wake up in the middle of the night, wake up too early and cannot fall back asleep, feel constantly tired, or become easily irritable and have trouble concentrating, you may be dealing with insomnia. Insomnia is not only uncomfortable but can also lead to serious health issues such as an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, memory loss, obesity, and stroke. Fortunately, doctors at the Philippine Department of Health have researched and developed a method to help improve sleep at home. This method can help reduce insomnia symptoms within 14 days without the need for medication or expensive medical treatments. Follow your doctor’s instructions. Learn more here.”
Both provided a link to a supposed FDA website (fda-ph.net/sleepal) where netizens can buy the product at a discounted price. The site featured product testimonials from doctors including internist and cardiologist Dr. Anthony “Tony” Leachon.
These ads are fake and from sources not affiliated with the PGH Department of Medicine or the FDA.
Sleepal Gold Colostrum is not a registered drug or food product with the FDA.
The UP PGH Department of Medicine’s official FB page has issued a statement disowning impostor pages that post fraudulent ads.
“The official UP PGH Department of Medicine would never advertise medical products and our page does not contain any marketing links for drugs,” a part of their advisory in July read.
The product website (fda-ph.net) is bogus. The legitimate FDA website can be found at fda.gov.ph.
Leachon never advertised the product either, he told VERA Files Fact Check in a Nov. 4 Viber message. He has repeatedly disowned a plethora of circulating fake ads and reiterated that he does not endorse any supplements or products.
A website selling Sleepal Gold Colostrum features fake endorsements from Dr. Tony Leachon. Screenshot by VERA Files
This is not the first time that VERA Files debunked fraudulent ads using his name.
The scams circulated more than a week after local media outlets reported on a study done by an Australian mattress brand that ranked the Philippines as third in countries with the worst sleeping habits.
The posts by the fake FB pages UP PGH Department of Medicine (created on Aug. 11 as SLMC – Orthopedic Surgery) and UP PGH Department of Medicine (created on June 26) collectively garnered 742 reactions, 108 comments and 309 shares.
