[Sportschosun reporter Jang Jong-ho] The Korean Medical Association (KMA) said it has referred a medical professional to the Central Ethics Committee for advertising and promoting 'oral albumin,' a general food product, as if it had effects similar to medicines, even though it has no drug-like efficacy.
On the 16th, KMA said, "We have stated that we will continue self-regulatory efforts because the so-called 'show doctor' behavior, which uses a medical professional's expertise and authority for commercial purposes, can seriously undermine a doctor's dignity and professional ethics." It added, "We urge the Ministry of Health and Welfare to move quickly with administrative procedures as soon as a request for administrative action from the Central Ethics Committee is received, and to impose swift and strong sanctions on the medical professional in question."
It also added, "We will respond with a zero-tolerance principle to members whose actions threaten public health and erode trust in the medical profession, and we hope the government will also cooperate through firm law enforcement."
Earlier, in March, KMA pointed out that "albumin is a type of protein that is completely broken down into amino acids in the body when taken orally," and that "eating expensive albumin products is no different from ordinary protein intake, and claims that they directly raise blood albumin levels are deceptive and have no medical basis at all." It also emphasized that "most oral albumin products are classified as mixed beverages, and doctors are not allowed to advertise health functional foods or medicines."
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
