FDA, CICC warn public vs fake vaccines, miracle drugs

MANILA, Philippines — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned the public and healthcare professionals against unregistered and counterfeit dengue vaccines being sold in the market.

“These (fake vaccines) are being distributed through unauthorized channels, including social media, online marketing platforms and unlicensed sources. Notably, these products are neither registered nor approved by the FDA, and therefore may pose serious health risk when administered,” the FDA said in Advisory 2025-1644.

The FDA said consumers could check product registration through the verification portal https://verification.fda.gov.ph.

Meanwhile, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) yesterday warned the public against the rampant sale of unregistered medicines that bypass legal safeguard through deceptive advertising.

Renato Paraiso, CICC executive director, said scammers are using artificial intelligence and have sponsored social media advertisements to give fraudulent products an image of legitimacy.

“Scammers are always evolving. They take advantage of sponsored ads, AI-generated content and the speed of online transactions,” Paraiso said in a statement.

To stay safe, Paraiso urged the public to purchase health products from legitimate and licensed sellers.

He urged people with information about suspicious products being sold online to report to the CICC Inter-Agency Response Center Hotline 1326 or through its social media accounts.