Original article (in Serbian) was published on 26/3/2025; Author: Teodora Koledin
The editorial office of FakeNews Tragac received another reader’s complaint regarding the manipulative advertising of unverified medical products. Specifically, it concerns an advertisement for Flexi Bone capsules, or, as described in the ad, a “free medicine” that allegedly regenerates joints and cures musculoskeletal diseases. The product comes from a Bosnian company called Bio Plar, whose logo appears on the packaging. After a detailed check, we concluded that this is yet another supplement being promoted suspiciously. Although the controversial ad refers to Flexi Bone as a “medicine” more than 10 times, the product does not appear in the database of approved human medicines maintained by the Medicines and Medical Devices Agency of Serbia.
Kosovo news about free “medicine” in Serbia
After clicking on the ad link, the first thing that catches the eye is a photo of a news anchor in a TV studio. At the bottom of the image, it is boldly stated that “Serbia has received free medicine for all joint and muscle diseases”. However, the attached photo was not taken from a Serbian television newscast. A reverse image search revealed that the journalist is from Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK), and the footage is from a news program on their third channel (RTK3), aired in late December 2020. The Serbian-language caption, which is meant to mimic a news announcement, was added later in an unconvincing way.
Who is the guarantor of the miracle cure?
The effectiveness of the Flexi Bone supplement is supposedly guaranteed by a woman named Ana Petrovic, described as a “famous orthopedic doctor” who has “operated on the most severe orthopedic cases”. However, the photo actually shows Barbara O’Neill, a self-proclaimed “natural healer” who has been permanently banned from providing health services in Australia. The image was taken from a video on YouTube. It’s important to note that we also noticed many other inconsistencies typical of this kind of scam. For example, the date after which “every citizen of Serbia is entitled to free medicine” changes daily, while the number of remaining packages always stays the same.
Disinformation in the Flexi Bone advertisement
A concerning fact is that the disputed advertisement also contains complete disinformation, which we outline below:
1. About the main cause of disability in Serbia
Although the author of the advertisement claims that “joint pathologies are the main cause of disability in Serbia”, the evidence suggests otherwise. In the 2023 Statistical Bulletin from the Pension and Disability Insurance Fund (PIO), we found that tumors have remained the most common cause of disability (for at least the past eight years) in the year when people are granted disability pensions. These are followed by circulatory system diseases, and then mental and musculoskeletal/connective tissue disorders.
According to other official data from the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia, the most recent census shows that there are just under 360,000 people in Serbia who have some degree of difficulty performing daily activities and are thus categorized as people with disabilities. Among them, the majority have walking difficulties (60%), but that does not mean their problems are necessarily due to “joint pathologies”. More detailed data on the causes of disability are still unavailable.
2. About osteophytes
The ad states: “97% of joint and spine diseases are caused by osteophytes – calcified salts”. However, as explained on the website of the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), osteophytes are “bony lumps that grow on bones, on the spine, or around joints”, and they appear “when a joint or bone is damaged by arthritis”, and “do not always cause problems”. In short, osteophytes can be a result, not the cause of the disease. A 2007 scientific paper also describes these bone lumps as a “common feature of osteoarthritis”.
3. About the availability of Flexi Bone in European pharmacies
Contrary to the claim in the ad that this medicine can be found “in almost every pharmacy in Europe”, we checked national registers of approved medicines in more than 20 European countries, as well as the European Medicines Agency (EMA) database. We did not find Flexi Bone listed in any of these databases.
4. About the components of the “medicine”
Another problematic claim is that “every component of the medicine is absolutely safe, does not cause allergies, other negative reactions, or side effects”. The composition of these capsules is not transparently disclosed anywhere in the advertisement. It is only vaguely mentioned – in a short note – that the product is “entirely made of natural ingredients”. However, that does not exempt it from potential side effects (no matter how mild they may be).
5. About treating the musculoskeletal system
The creators of the misleading ad also claim that “the musculoskeletal system can truly be completely and permanently cured – at any age, from any disease, regardless of its stage and cause”. This is another outright falsehood. While a muscle strain can be treated, many other chronic conditions of this system cannot. For example, arthritis has no cure – there are only various treatments that can “slow it down”.
Who is behind the company promoting Flexi Bone?
The website of Bio Plar, the company connected to Flexi Bone, states that its distributor in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a company called “Obscale d.o.o.” from Srebrenik, while the distributor in Serbia is “Green Side d.o.o.” based in Loznica. The activity of this company is listed as “retail trade via mail or the internet”. According to data from the Serbian Business Registers Agency, the director and legal representative of Green Side is Senad Becirovic, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The owner of the company is also from Bosnia – the already mentioned Obscale.
According to the business entity register of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the founders and legal representatives of Obscale are Esef Cosic and Senad Becirovic. Two years ago, the web portal “Poslovne novine” published an article about Obscale d.o.o. calling it a “young company conquering the world of affiliate marketing”. Senad Becirovic and Esef Cosic are also directors of “Wikinzi Ltd” a company registered in the United Kingdom in which they jointly hold more than 50% of the shares.
We also found Flexi Bone on other suspicious online stores, with absurd names such as “opens 2019” and “Museums of Serbia,” which FN Tragac has previously reported on.
