Original article (in Serbian) was published on 27/8/2024; Author: Teodora Koledin
Have you recently come across an ad for the so-called “anti-nicotine bioactivator” Bronhomin? Regardless of whether you’ve encountered it before, this is another clear example of deceptive advertising. Tragac thoroughly analyzed the entire promotional text for these smoking cessation drops and identified numerous inconsistencies.
To begin with, it’s worth noting that manipulative ads of this type often rely on endorsements from questionable medical professionals. In this case, the so-called pulmonologist and narcologist Milan Licic is presented as the inventor of Bronhomin, and the entire ad is based on his alleged professional experience. However, this person does not exist. The photo of the supposed specialist was found on a stock photo website, and no licensed doctor by that name appears in the official medical registry.
All of the consumers whose “testimonials” are featured in the advertisement are completely fictional, and their photos were also taken from various stock photo databases:
Miloc Jovanovic (64) from Belgrade: “Quit smoking after the first drop”
Sofija Stankovic (66) from Kragujevac: “Now rides a bike instead of smoking”
Robert Jovanovic (62) from Belgrade: “Special because he started smoking at the age of forty”
Vasilj Tadic (61) from Kragujevac: “His father benefited the most”
About nonexistent institutes and research that “prove” effectiveness
The advertisement claims that the effectiveness of this product has been “scientifically proven” and studied by as many as 14 research institutes from around the world. Among the named organizations are the American Society for Clean Lunges and the Australian Institute of Taping, both of which, like the others mentioned, do not exist. The supposed inventor, Milan Licic, is claimed to be the recipient of the “Biochemical Discovery of the Year” award, but no relevant information about such an award can be found online.
There are also no additional details about the alleged “clinical trials conducted on 120,000 people”, which supposedly prove the effectiveness of the drops even in “hopeless cases”. Apart from mentioning the study, the ad provides no evidence of its existence.
The imaginary specialist in the advertisement also claims that “every tobacco product contains nicotine” and that nicotine “kills”. This statement is misleading. While nicotine is a highly addictive substance, it is not usually the direct cause of death among smokers. To overdose fatally on nicotine, a person would need to smoke a very large number of cigarettes in a short time.
Each cigarette delivers between 1.1 and 1.8 milligrams of nicotine to the body, which amounts to 22 to 36 milligrams per pack. Newer studies suggest that more than 500 milligrams of nicotine would be required for a lethal overdose. As stated on the website of the UK’s National Health Service: “Nicotine itself does not cause cancer, lung disease, heart disease, or stroke and has been used safely for many years in medications that help people stop smoking”.
What can we learn from the ingredients and packaging of Bronhomin?
If you look closely at the packaging of Bronhomin shown near the end of the ad, you’ll notice the ingredients of these drops, which are marketed as a smoking cessation therapy. The ad claims that the ingredients are “100% natural”, but does not specify what they are. However, the Bronhomin packaging lists the following: plantain, oregano, ginger, lungwort, mullein, elecampane, and thyme. Below the photo of the box in the ad, the promotional price is also shown – with a 65% discount, the drops can be purchased for just 1,490 dinars, whereas the regular price is 4,900 dinars.
We researched the ingredients in Bronhomin and found drops with the exact same composition and name, but sold in different packaging. They are available at the online health food store “Bioline” for 520 dinars. The manufacturer is ZokiSfood, or more specifically, the company “Fruit and Vegetable Processing” from Vladicin Han, run by Jadranka and Zoran Stojiljkovic.
On the ZokiSfood website, their product Bronhomin can indeed be found, but there are no fairy tales about an “anti-nicotine bioactivator” that will help you lose the urge to smoke in 24 hours and completely cleanse your lungs in three weeks. It simply states that it is a product that “contributes to the normal function of the respiratory tract”. On the health food store website, selling it for a third of the price compared to the creators of the misleading advertisement, the drops are described as “supporting respiratory health and easing breathing”. There is no mention of smoking cessation or total lung cleansing.
One detail visible on the Bronhomin packaging used in the manipulative advertisement confirms that this is the same product in different packaging and with different pricing. The packaging in the manipulative advertisement displays the “registration number in the Ministry of Health database of the Republic of Serbia”. It is exactly the same number listed on the ZokiSfood site in the product description under the same name – 21813/2022 dated November 22, 2022.
Who is selling the manipulatively advertised Bronhomin?
We found the same Bronhomin, in the identical bottle and box as shown in the deceptive ad, on the website “Bio Zdravlje”, which features an entire online store of various “remedies” for respiratory issues, digestion, alcoholism, joints, obesity, diabetes, and blood vessels. The website lists the registration number of the company behind it, and by checking the Serbian Business Registers Agency, it was easy to confirm that the seller is Bio Svet d.o.o. founded in 2022. The company is registered in Vozdovac, Belgrade, and the listed director is Tadija Milanovic, who is also one of the two owners of the company ISL Group d.o.o. registered for “call center activities”. The official Bio Svet website also features reviews from alleged satisfied partners, illustrated with stock model photos. It also states that “Bio Zdravlje” is a brand of this company.
A share in Bio Svet is also held by entrepreneur Nikola Zivkovic, who is the owner of the retail business PR ADFINITUM, specializing in online retail. Both Milanovic and Zivkovic are also listed as owners of a company called Bio Svijet, registered in Ugljevik, in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On Bio Svet’s social media, Facebook and Instagram, the main product being promoted is the alleged weight loss remedy Fitopil, which is advertised using problematic and misogynistic language.
Bronhomin is also available from other questionable online stores, which Tragac has previously identified as promoting unverified remedies (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).
