Exposed: The Deceptive Medical Ads Claiming Miracle Cures for Cancer and Beauty Fixes – A Lawsuit Aims to Put a Stop to It
Japan’s Consumer Affairs Organization Files Lawsuit Against Medical Corporation Over Misleading Advertisements</hOn September 10, the Consumer Affairs Organization of Japan filed a lawsuit in the Tokyo District Court against a medical corporation operating a clinic in Tokyo, demanding that the corporation stop advertising online due to misleading representations of its elective medical treatments.
According to the lawsuit, the medical corporation, which has a clinic in Dogenz ‘aka, Shib ‘ya Ward, Tokyo, handles four types of non-medical treatments: dentistry, cosmetic dermatology, cosmetic surgery, and reg ‘nerative medicine/immunotherapy, and also sells anti-aging care products. The clinic’s website contains statements that claim certain treatments can be highly effective in areas such as terminal cancer treatment and beauty treatments, which the lawsuit claims constitute misleading representations.
The injunction was filed against eight advertisements: (1) macrophage activation therapy, (2) macrophage activation cosmetics and supplements, ( ‘3) telomere injections and drips, (4) intestinal flora transplants, (5) exosome drip therapy, (6) microwave thermotherapy, (7) high-concentration hydrogen inhalation therapy, and (8) ACRS (autologous cytokine-rich serum therapy). The clinic’s website contains statements such as “macrophage activation substances, known as iRF, can be expected to be highly effective in a range of areas from terminal cancer treatment to beauty treatments,” and “microwaves are applied for just 15 minutes at a time, causing the cancer cells to die,” which the lawsuit claims constitute misleading representations.
Although there have been no confirmed complaints of health damage from patients of this clinic, the organization has received complaints such as “It cost 20 million yen in treatment fees.” Since April, the organization has been asking the medical corporation to remove the advertisements, but when they did not comply, it decided to file a lawsuit. It is said that the organization has also consulted with doctors before filing the lawsuit.
According to the clinic’s website, the prices for these treatments are as follows: macrophage activation therapy costs 110,000 yen per session, the initial intestinal flora transplant costs 1.1 million yen, telomore injections and drips are 330,000 yen, and the initial exosome drip costs 1.32 million yen and the regular price is 1.76 million yen (all prices include tax).
At a press conference after filing the lawsuit, the Director and lawyer, Miyagi Akira, emphasized, “The reality is that inadequate treatment, without any objective evidence, is being provided at extremely high prices. This is not just a matter of property damage, but a serious issue as it directly affects lives and health. I believe that this type of elective medical treatment is steadily increasing, and I feel a sense of crisis.” He also pointed out that “genuinely, this is an issue that should be supervised and regulated by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the Consumer Affairs Agency, and prefectures, but for some reason, government regulations regarding elective medical treatment are very lax. We are also aiming to raise this issue as a social problem and draw out government action.”
Consumer Affairs Organization of Japan is an NPO certified as a “specified qualified consumer organization” and can file lawsuits for damages under the Special Act on Consumer Litigation Procedures. The organization has been strengthening its efforts to address the issue of unestablished medical treatments on the internet, and this lawsuit is part of those efforts.
Image: Attorneys representing the Consumer Affairs Agency of Japan hold a press conference (September 10, in Tokyo)
Image source: https://static.m.com/news/iryoishin/2024/0910/240910coj.jpg