Claim: A therapy treatment that uses a medical cream made from bee venom that can cure gout was advertised by GMA’s Balitanghali telecast.
Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook post which was published on July 19, 2024, was posted by an account named Philippine Health Bulletin which bannered the “24 Oras” logo on its cover page. As of writing, the post already accumulated 25,000 reactions, 3,200 comments, and 7.3 million views.
The facts: The video ad combined and spliced footage from various news sources and influencers to falsely suggest that they endorse the product. It can be observed that the audio doesn’t match the lip movements of the reporter and other individuals used in the video.
The original footage includes a segment from GMA’s “Balitanghali” featuring Raffy Tima as the reporter. Neither the network, nor Raffy Tima, has publicly endorsed the product known as Southmoon Bee Venom Cream as part of the “bee venom therapy” or its purported benefits for gout.
Stolen content. A video of influencer and physician Dr. Geraldine Zamora was taken and edited from her original TikTok post dated December 2021 where she talked about medical conditions like lupus and psoriasis.
She also published a disclaimer post last August 15 on her Facebook account debunking the claim in the post and denied her endorsement of the product or the therapy being promoted in the ad.
Another stolen TikTok video was taken from the account of priest Rev. Fr. Jeffrey Mirasol which was framed purportedly as a testimony to support the claim in the post.
Two more videos from GMA’s “Pinoy MD” health program — one from August 5, 2017, and another from September 16, 2023 — were included in the ad to support the gout treatment but were unrelated to the product being promoted.
Bee venom vs. gout. While there is some research suggesting that bee venom might have potential benefits for managing gout due to its anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties, there is still insufficient medical evidence to support it, and more research is needed to definitively establish the effectiveness of bee venom for treating gout.
Not FDA registered. The Southmoon Bee Venom Cream is also not in the database of the FDA as seen in its online verification portal.
Rappler has fact-checked past false claims of alleged gout treatments and cure:
– Jerry Yubal Jr./Rappler.com
Jerry Yubal Jr. is a graduate of Aries Rufo Journalism fellow of Rappler for 2023-2024. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.
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