Original article (in Slovenian) was published on 30/12/2022
All types of treatment for ischemia are available in Slovenia, and a healthy lifestyle is recommended to prevent these conditions in the first place, according to Borut Jug, head of the Clinical Department for Vascular Diseases at the University Medical Centre in Ljubljana.
On the website 212.sixnov.com, “journalist Danijel Marlič” published an alleged interview with former Health Minister Dušan Keber, who allegedly claimed that “cleansing” the blood vessels is not possible in Slovenia and proposed the drug Cardione as a solution.
212.sixnov.com, on which the interview was published, tried to imitate the appearance of the web portal of the Albanian television station News24. The station has not yet responded to a Razkrinkavanje.si question about the misuse of the graphic image of their portal.
The domain 212.sixnov.com was registered by an unknown person with the American domain name registrar Namecheap on 18 November this year, according to publicly available information.
Dušan Keber, a retired professor of internal medicine and preventive cardiology, and minister of health between 2000 and 2002, told Razkrinkavanje.si in a telephone conversation that he never recommended Cardione. On 20 December he pointed out the fake interview in a Facebook post of his own. As he noted there, the boom in fake offers of medicines on the internet was affected by the large number of patients without a named GP.
According to the Slovenian Names and Surnames Database operated by the Statistical Office, there is no person in Slovenia with the surname Marlič, as the alleged journalist who interviewed the former minister of health spelled his name.
The fake interview was first shared on Facebook by Umbrella Universe, which publishes photos of nature, and then shared by several Slovenian users of the network, including in the 28,200-member group “The Lonely Hanging Out.
Borut Jug, head of the Clinical Department for Vascular Diseases at the University Medical Centre in Ljubljana, explained to Razkrinkavanje.si that “cleansing” the veins is a lay term for treating ischemia, a condition which can lead to various complications, such as heart attacks, stroke, and gangrene in the legs.
As he pointed out, ischemia is common and is best prevented by a healthy lifestyle, including quitting smoking, maintaining a healthy body mass, and regular exercise. That notwithstanding, all types of treatment are available in Slovenia to treat this condition.
He added that treatment approaches vary according to the type and progression of the condition and the characteristics of the individual: “In exceptional circumstances, and after careful individual assessment of the individual’s risk and the appropriateness of the treatment, a doctor may prescribe an active substance.”
Cardione is not registered
“The product in question does not have a marketing authorisation, so its quality, safety and efficacy have not been tested according to the strict criteria for medicinal products,” the Public Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices (JAZMP) told Razkrinkavanje.si.
They warned that the product is also being illegally and misleadingly advertised on the website si1.cardionv.com, as it it not possible that it has the attributed properties and effects given its composition. “It is also stated that the product is recommended by a doctor, Tina Mivšek, who does not exist in the publicly accessible database of doctors and dentists run by the Medical Chamber.”
They pointed out that in Slovenia, medicines can only be sold online under a special licence from the Ministry of Health, which consumers can identify by its logo.
They also stressed that consumers should check online shops for information about the provider before making any online purchases. The JAZMP warns consumers on its website about misleadingly presented products with miraculous effects: “We will prepare a notice on misleading advertising for Cardione.”
The JAZMP received a complaint about Cardione from the Health Inspectorate in the first half of December. Following this request, the registrar removed the website on which the fake interview with Keber was published, but the product is still advertised on other websites.
The interview on 212.sixnov.com is false. It was created to deliberately mislead the public, and we have therefore labelled it a false publication.
In addition, the post is an advertisement for Cardione that looks like an interview, so we have also classified it as disguised advertising.
The claim by the author of the fake interview that it is not possible to “cleanse” blood vessels in Slovenia is false.