Herbosa: FDA to work with NBI regarding fake celeb endorsement of drugs

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa on Tuesday said he would task the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to work with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) regarding the proliferation of fake celebrity endorsements of various unregistered food and drug products on social media.

"Many of my friends, doctor friends who are popular and especially have been victimized for a drug that they did not endorse using their photos taken out of social media – and these are really the scammers. So, this is under the realm—in DOH, this is under the realm of the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) – they are a regulatory agency with police powers," Herbosa said at a Palace press briefing.

"So I think our—I’ll instruct the head of FDA, si Sam Zacate to actually coordinate with the NBI to really get to the bottom of this," he added.

According to Herbosa, Dr. Willie Ong and Dr. Tony Leachon have filed cases with the Cybercrime Division of the NBI regarding this proliferating scam.

Earlier, Senator Jinggoy Estrada filed Senate Resolution No. 666 which states that there has been "a spread of online marketing materials and impostor pages or accounts promoting unregistered products that promise treatment for certain ailments or wellness benefits which use the names and photos of local personalities and celebrities."

Estrada pointed out that the online scam is a "clear and blatant" violation of the Consumer Act as the bogus medicinal remedies are being seen and shared by many people, providing them with inaccurate information about the efficacy, quality, and safety of food, drugs, and health products.

He also said there is a need to update the country's existing laws and regulations, considering the alarming use of maliciously manipulated images, spliced videos, and fabricated statements in the promotion of food and health products — RSJ, GMA Integrated News