The battle against diabetes– a relentless adversary undermining the body’s energy metabolism– has reached a fever pitch, with millions of individuals showing desperation for a cure.
In the intricate web of online platforms, notably Facebook, where hope sometimes meets exploitation, a disturbing trend emerges: The proliferation of supposed diabetes cures.
Yet, behind these promises lies a web of deceit and danger as we delve into the murky world of fraudulent remedies peddled to unsuspecting individuals.
Diabetes is a chronic health condition that impairs how the body turns blood sugar into energy, causing glucose to accumulate in the blood (hyperglycemia). Over time, a high level of glucose in the bloodstream can damage tissues and organs, including the nerves, the heart, the kidneys, and the eyes, resulting in the common complications of diabetes.
The prevalence of diabetes has surged over the past three decades, with significant impacts on individuals and healthcare systems.
According to recent estimates, approximately 37 million people in the U.S. and over 400 million globally are living with diabetes, posing a substantial public health challenge. In Nigeria, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) reports that 3.6 million individuals are affected by the disease.
The IDF’s findings also reveal a concerning trend in the cost of diabetes treatment. From an average expenditure of N60,000 per person in 2011, the expense has climbed to N300,000 in 2021. Projections suggest that treatment costs could surpass N500,000 by 2030 and exceed N1.0 million by 2045.
As the diabetic population grows, there’s a corresponding increase in the pursuit of effective treatments and cures. This quest often leads individuals to seek remedies from questionable sources, including online platforms like Facebook, where advertisements for supposed diabetes cures proliferate.
As the diabetic population grows, there’s a corresponding increase in the pursuit of effective treatments and cures. This quest has created a dark web of imposters on social media platforms like Facebook who are exploiting diabetes patients by feasting on their desperation for a cure.
On Facebook, the world’s most popular social media platform, there’s a high proliferation of imposters who are running daily advertisements for supposed diabetes cure.
A Facebook group named “Diabetes Cure without Medicine” has become a platform for numerous drug vendors who claim to offer instant cures for diabetes. It is a platform for numerous drug vendors of mostly Nigerian origin who claim to offer instant cures for diabetes.
The name of the group caught DUBAWA’s attention—a name that begs the question: How will Diabetes be cured without medicine?
With a substantial following of approximately 65,000 members, the page has become a hub for marketers promoting various remedies for the condition. Among them is Mutalemwa Muyungi, who boldly asserts that diabetes is curable.
Muyungi’s claim has attracted considerable attention, with several group members commenting on his posts expressing interest in obtaining the purported remedy for diabetes.
DUBAWA initiated a conversation with Muyungi to verify the authenticity of these claims and uncover potential cures for diabetes.
During the conversation with DUBAWA, Mutalemwa Muyungi, purportedly from Tanzania and affiliated with BF SUMA pharmaceutical, claimed that diabetes is curable with biological medicines. Muyungi identified the drugs NMN DUO RELEASE, PURE & BROKEN GANODERMA SPORES, ZAMINACAL PLUS, and MICRO 2 CYCLE as potential cures for diabetes.
He stated that each dosage costs $1000 and claimed that any of the listed drugs could cure diabetes within three months.
After negotiations, Muyungi agreed to lower the price to $500. He dropped two account details in which the money will be paid. When asked by DUBAWA to provide testimonials from individuals whom the drugs had cured, Muyungi declined, citing privacy concerns.
However, he assured DUBAWA that they would become ambassadors for the products upon being cured. When pressed to provide evidence of individuals who had become ambassadors after being cured, Muyungi again declined, citing privacy concerns.
The conversation ended when Muyungi refused to provide DUBAWA with testimonies of people who had been cured or had become ambassadors due to using the products.
Verification
DUBAWA mailed the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to verify the status of the drugs recommended by Mutalemwa Muyungi.
The Food and Drug Administration is responsible for protecting public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, and medical devices and the safety of the food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.
The Division of Drug Information within the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research responded to DUBAWA’s inquiry.
According to the FDA’s response, the drugs in question are not approved drug products but rather classified as dietary supplements.
The response partially reads, “Thank you for writing the Division of Drug Information in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
“FDA-approved drug products and labelling can be found at Drugs@FDA. These are not approved drug products. It appears they are marketing these as dietary supplements.”
Upon further investigation, DUBAWA checked the link provided by the FDA to verify the status of the drugs.
Surprisingly, none of the drugs prescribed by Mutalemwa Muyungi were found on the website. Contrary to Mutalemwa Muyungi’s claims that the products are drugs, the FDA says that they are not approved.
