Senator Nancy Binay is asking a senate committee to probe the reported deaths linked to the use of unauthorized Intravenous (IV) glutathione.
Under Senate Resolution 952 filed on March 5, Binay cited a news report that a woman in Quezon City died after experiencing a anaphylactic shock or severe allergic reaction to an unauthorized glutathione and stem cell infusion last January.
Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa reportedly "cautioned the public that the use of glutathione for skin whitening is off-label and illegal" following the incident.
Basahin > kopya ng Resolution of Both Houses no. 7 na aamyenda sa economic provisions ng 1987 Constitution @dzrhnews pic.twitter.com/GXdWnQ2rPb
— milky rigonan 💋 (@milkyrigonan) March 6, 2024
She also cited a tragedy recorded at a spa in Sampaloc, Manila in 2020 wherein a woman was administered a dose of Aqua Skin-Diamond Pro Ultra White and Vitarex-C and had a fatal cardiac arrest hours later.
"[T]o date, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved any injectable products for skin lightening. Injectable glutathione is only permitted as an adjunct treatment in cisplatin chemotherapy," the senator pointed out.
The FDA, according to Binay, has yet to publish clinical trials and guidelines on the appropriate use of gluta IV.
The senator said the continued use and endorsement of IV gluta for beauty enhancement and skin treatment is alarming.
"It is the duty of the Senate to inquire on the unauthorized use of IV glutathione to ensure the safety and to protect the health of the public by policy or by law," she furthered.
Binay earlier expressed her concern for TV host Mariel Rodriguez-Padilla's IV Vitamin C procedure in the Senate in February. She said such drip is declared unsafe by the DOH and banned by the DFA.
Public Health Expert Tony Leachon told DZRH in an interview that a person receiving IV vitamin C is at risk of kidney stones, hepatitis B or C, human immunodeficiency virus or HIV, and other diseases.
