VERA Files
A Facebook (FB) ad claimed that cardiologist Saturnino Javier of Makati Medical Center (MMC) is promoting a medicine to allegedly treat hypertension or high blood pressure. This is fake.
Cholextrol, the milk supplement in the fake endorsement, is not in the Food and Drug Administration’s approved list of medicines to treat high cholesterol levels.
“In 7 days, your blood vessels will be as healthy as they were at 20,” the post claimed.
In an advisory dated April 30, posted on its official FB page, MMC said, “MakatiMed – even our doctors – will never endorse health-related products.”
“Makati Medical Center will never ask for payments or process transactions through Facebook, Twitter or other messaging apps,” the advisory read.
The fake ad garnered a total of 7,957 comments, 1,178 comments, and 1,200 shares.
Facebook page Dr. Saturnino P. Javier – Makati Medical Center, which posted the fake ad, was created on April 11 and is managed by five administrators from Vietnam and one from the Philippines, according to FB’s Page Transparency.
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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.)
