Warning On Ads For Food Supplements: Thailand

[webfact]

Warning on ads for food supplements

PUANGCHOMPOO PRASERT

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Exaggerated advertisements about supplementary food can threaten the health of consumers. In some cases, the risk could be fatal.

"We have found a number of advertisements on satellite TV and community radio stations have exaggerated the benefits of certain products," Thai Drug Watch manager Asst Prof Niyada Kiartyingangsulee said yesterday. She said her agency and relevant organisations including the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission took steps needed to raise public awareness about exaggerated ads and possible negative impacts.

But there is big money in this sector. Advertising by the food and medicine supplement industry in Thailand was worth Bt17 billion a year from 2006 to 2009.

Panachai Pongpamarat said his relative had suffered from diabetes and received treatment from a hospital for years. The treatment had been satisfactory until his relative came across an ad about Enzyme powder.

"The advertisement says the product can cure cancers, diabetes, and high-blood pressure problems," Panachai recounted, "Repeated exposure to the advertisement finally convinced my relative to give it a try."

Panachai said his relative stopped taking medicine and relied on the Enzyme powder alone.

The powder was sold at Bt2,500 for 50 small packets.

"It's very expensive for farmers like us. But of course, ill people want full recovery," he said.

Two months after taking the Enzyme powder, the condition of his diabetic relative worsened. The patient died of kidney failure at a hospital.

"It hurts us all. A deception has killed him," Panachai lamented.

Drug Watch boss Niyada said Enzyme powder - when entering human intestines - would simply become amino, like an organic compound.

Rural Pharmacists Society chairman Panu Chotethongyang said the Enzyme drink contained just extracts of papaya and other fruits. "No ingredients in it have therapeutic attributes," he said.

Panu said some unknowing victims of exaggerated ads had sold their farmland to buy products with exaggerated benefits.

He urged people to carefully review advertisements before fully believing their content.

"Please check whether the advertisements for supplementary food and medicines have an authorisation number. If you suspect that their benefits are exaggerated, please contact the Food and Drug Administration, provincial public-health officers or hospitals," Panu said.

-- The Nation 2012-11-13

[Thai at Heart]

Functional food supplements are a billiob baht con in Thailand.

[asiawatcher]

In western countries this is a criminal offence. Wording on labels has to be approved by the FDA/TGA. Here of course, it is a free-for-all.

[jaltsc]

I love the ad for Memo Plus Gold. You can achieve the same results if you just stop drinking that cheap rice moonshine for a day

[Rionoir]

All you have to do is put the word "whitening" or "thin" on a bottle and people will buy it here.

I'm always shocked at how little about science and biology my Thai friends know, even things that should be common sense. No kidding, one of my friends here asked me if he could get tan by swimming at night. I said, no of course not, why do you ask? Apparently he had read in a Thai magazine that pool water can retain the suns rays or something, and then when you swim at night your body will absorb them and you'll get tan. OMG seriously?!

[scorecard]

In western countries this is a criminal offence. Wording on labels has to be approved by the FDA/TGA. Here of course, it is a free-for-all.

Baby milk powder is another example.

Several years back my family asked a western trained Thai pediatrics doctor about this, works at one of the so called 5 star hospitals.

Doctors response - 99% of the claims of higher IQ etc., etc., are total bullXXit. Doctor also mentioned that Thai pediatrics doctors group have been fighting for years to have it stopped, so success because manufacturers are too powerful.

Edited November 13, 2012 by scorecard

[fareastguy]

I'm sorry to hear of the death of an innocent victim taken in by fake advertising, but this just highlights the lack of general knowledge & awareness of Thai consumers, not just with medications.

This person had an illness being treated over a number of years by doctors who had been administering drugs to help the symptoms. If a person wishes to stop taking these drugs and substitute them with an alternative that they have seen as a wonder drug on TV then I'm sorry but I have no sympathy for the families loss.

At the very least they should have consulted the doctor with the name of this drug and asked the very simple life saving question "does this product have an validity & would it help in my illness"

In the case of over the counter drugs the manufacturer (especially in Thailand) is the last person to believe !!

[belg]

coffee that makes you thin and WHITE ... more crap like that... but who is so gullable to believe that... ah yes... the same people go passed grades (till 14 years of age) just be attending school and never to questioning the teacher about anything...

[sprq]

"He urged people to carefully review advertisements before fully believing their content."

How about advertising standards rules and sanctions for false and misleading advertising applied by the authorities? Caveat emptor, certainly, but the authorities should be doing the main job of nailing these con-men.

Oh, I forgot, This Is Thailand.

[noitom]

Wow these Thais are on top of it. They say it's a "big business" and the big boys want in. They are concerned that the enzyme powder in the health food section and pharmacies is killing people, but there is no need to worry about the fish balls. Fish balls is not that "big of a business." Fish balls are left to the little guys and petty police to sort it out. No need for the big guys to be concerned over food poisoning deaths and poison puffer fish and other Thai street delicacies, but enzyme powder and other vitamin supplements is a big concern.

Ever notive how the cost of vitamins and nutritional products in Thailand is virtually prohibitive in cost?

[Thai at Heart]

coffee that makes you thin and WHITE ... more crap like that... but who is so gullable to believe that... ah yes... the same people go passed grades (till 14 years of age) just be attending school and never to questioning the teacher about anything...

Millions of Thai consumers every day are really that gullible.

Chicken essence anyone? Makes your iq better huh? Since its been in the market in Thailand for 40 years, why no get better brain krup?

[osiboy]

thais are so guillible it's unreal , if the TV says it works wonders then it must be true , if TV says its tuesday , its tuesday ...especially if a farang says it wearing a long sleeved shirt,.....must be true , if its from korea,japan or europe , ..must be true ! sand to the arabs, and snow to eskimos ,if i tell a joke or story to a thai and keep a dead-pan face they believe me everytime , hook line and sinker................wish i was fluent in thai i would be a rich man !