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Swiss health
regulators have announced that they started a criminal investigation into
clinics and people who offered illegal animal cell injection as an anti-aging
treatment.
Authorities have said
they are aware of at least 35 clinics giving the potentially dangerous
procedures, and they don’t have permits to perform the injections, according to
AFP.
Based on RT.com filing, GRAPHITTI NEWS reports:
Most institutions
that offer these supposedly anti-aging treatments are situated on the shores of
Lake Geneva between Lausanne and Montreux.
Last year, the
clinics were already warned to stop the procedures.
In a statement
released Thursday, the Federal Office of Public Health (OFSP), the Swiss health
authority, announced that "criminal
proceedings were initiated against several clinics and different people"
that engage in the practice, Les Echos news portal reported.
The treatments
allegedly bring millions of euros to clinics per year, according to Swiss media
reports.
Live cell treatments
were invented in 1930s by Swiss doctor Paul Niehans and involve injections of
sheep, cow or pig fetuses’ cells into patients. They promise an anti-aging
effect, and also supposedly can help to battle migraines and chronic conditions
such as cancer.
However, health
regulators say there is no scientific proof that the procedures are effective,
and warn that injections can cause allergic reactions, abscesses and blood
infections, plus the cells can infect patients with disease-causing pathogens.
The injections were
especially popular among wealthy Chinese, Middle Eastern and Russian nationals,
according to the Federal Office of Public Health (OFSP).
The head of a travel
agency focusing on medical tourism for Chinese citizens opposed the measure.
“These treatments work. We have clients who come
back every two years. If it didn't work, people wouldn't spend so much money,”
Swissna agency owner Xu Junhua said, as quoted by AFP.
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