A Facebook page is peddling a diabetes supplement through a video with the product image displayed beside the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seal to imply its approval by the regulatory body.
The video, published on Aug. 19, promotes the product Ha An Duong, claiming it can replace insulin in “solving” diabetes with no side effects.
Part of its caption read: “MABISANG SOLUSYON PARA SA DIABETES. Sabihin hindi sa insulin. Epektibo pagkatapos ng 7 araw ng paggamit. (Effective solution for diabetes. Say no to insulin. Effective seven days after use.)”
Ha An Duong is not on the FDA Verification Portal, where all food and drug products granted certificates of product registration are listed.
The misleading video started with a spliced clip of journalist Susan Enriquez reporting on diabetic children, then went on to show testimonials of alleged diabetics and a man in a lab coat sharing the supposed benefits of the product.
Throughout the nearly two-minute run of the video, a stock photo of the FDA seal of approval is shown beside the health supplement, while a crossed-out image of insulin is below it.
The brief news clip was from a May 25 Unang Hirit report published on the official YouTube channel of GMA News. But the news report never mentioned a product name, nor were there any interviews with the users of the supplement.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine advises against ending or switching insulin medications without first talking to a medical professional.
The World Health Organization has also stated that while there is currently no cure for diabetes, the condition is manageable through specific interventions like blood sugar control and a change in lifestyle and diet.
The video was published by the FB page HA AN DUONG PLUS (created on June 25, 2022), managed by users from Vietnam, Brazil, and Indonesia despite its posts written in Filipino. It has garnered over 1,000 reactions, 340 comments, 300 shares, and 134,000 views.
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(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
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