Sotto urges DOH to take action vs food supplements allegedly used as abortifacient

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III on Monday aired concerns about the rise of food and herbal supplements that cause premature termination of pregnancy among women being sold online.

During the plenary debates on the proposed P391 billion budget of the Department of Health (DOH) and its attached agencies for fiscal year 2026, Sotto asked budget sponsor Senator Pia Cayetano if the product “Serpentina” is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“Aside from miscarriage, women who use Serpentina to induce bleeding have been admitted to the hospital due to multiple organ failure…leading to their demise,” Sotto said.

Cayetano, in response, said that Serpentina is registered as a food supplement under the FDA and it is indicated on the product packaging that it has “no approved therapeutic claim.”

She said the product claims to help with hypertension and headache, among others.

“[If] it is being used as abortifacient, that is what they call ‘off label use.’ Because it is being promoted for headaches and the like, and yet, I don’t know how, but for some reason, some people get their hands on it and they are using it for another cause. As Your Honor has correctly pointed out, if it is being used as abortifacient, then it’s not meant to be,” Cayetano explained.

She said the FDA will take advice from the Senate to issue a specific advisory that Serpentina cannot and should not be used as abortifacient as it would be harmful for users.

Sotto then argued that a mere advisory is not enough, stressing that he received information from doctors themselves that there were patients aged 15 to 41 being rushed to emergency rooms who were suffering from complications and bleeding after using the product.

“You must monitor. The DOH, through the FDA, must monitor these adverse effects of these herbal medicines or supplements,” the Senate President said.

“I think you must require hospital, [issue] hospital advisory from the DOH to report any adverse effects related to the use of herbal supplements, such as Serpentina,” he added.

Cayetano, citing Health Secretary Ted Herbosa, said there is such a policy for drugs but not for food supplements.

“We need a law… We can include it in our legislative priorities, Your Honor, I’d be happy to initiate it. But I think they can also do that while waiting for us to pass a law because that’s within their jurisdiction,” she said.

Sotto further raised concerns about the proliferation of abortion services and the inquiries for such on social media platforms.

“Lantarang krimen ‘to (this is an obvious crime) because abortion is illegal in the Philippines,” he said.

The DOH then said that abortion is recognized as a crime, saying that there is a law enforcement issue. Cayetano said that the DOH could tap the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to address the matter. — BAP, GMA Integrated News