Two Facebook (FB) pages are circulating a video promoting Lung Cleaner Tritydo, claiming it can treat asthma, pneumonia, and bronchitis within seven days and that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has verified the product as safe.
This claim is false. Lung Cleaner Tritydo is not an FDA-registered product. Also known as Bo Phoi Tritydo, this drug has not been endorsed by any local health organization or health agencies in the Philippines or the United States as a treatment for respiratory ailments.
Part of the FB post accompanying the video reads: “Treatment of Asthma – Pneumonia – Bronchitis, no need to go to the hospital, treat it at home.” It further claims, without proof, that it can protect against COVID-19,
Rappler has debunked a similar false claim.
The FDA flagged Lung Cleaner Tritydo as an unregistered food supplement in 2020. The manufacture, importation or exportation, sale, or distribution of unregistered products is prohibited under the Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009.
The Department of Health (DOH) has not endorsed the drug as a remedy for bronchitis.
There is no cure for asthma, but asthma attacks can be controlled through medication, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the DOH.
The Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (PSMID) recommends the use of antibiotics, not Lung Cleaner Tritydo, in treating pneumonia.
Pneumonia is a type of viral, bacterial, or fungal infection treated by antibiotics, the U.S. CDC stated. Bronchitis is the swelling of lung airways (called bronchi) caused by exposure to pollutants, viruses, or bacteria, while asthma is a chronic lung disease caused by inflamed, swollen, and narrow airways, the DOH explained.
FB pages Tritydo – Protect your lungs and Protect your lungs and your family – Tritydo (both created on Aug. 19) posted the videos on Aug. 22 and Aug. 20, respectively, garnering a total of over 16,600 interactions.
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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.)