The “counterfeit drug” scandal reveals the scientific and commercial battles behind it. A month ago, Liu Jianxin, the chairman of Collong Pharmaceutical, took to the stage bare-chested to promote the advertising video for his company’s anti-aging product “Melatonin Capsules”. The video caused a huge stir on social networks. At the age of 75, he presented a fit and healthy image, accompanied by the advertising slogan “Mr. Liu 75 – ‘Nothing is impossible!'” The powerful visual impact quickly caught the attention of the public and successfully brought melatonin, this substance, into the public eye.
This product, which is developed by Collong Pharmaceutical and positioned in the high-end dietary supplement sector, costs 1,499 yuan per bottle (60 capsules per bottle), with each capsule containing 30mg of high-activity melatonin. The raw materials are directly supplied by Collong’s subsidiary, Chuan Ning Biotechnology. The promotion emphasizes its antioxidant capacity, which is 10 – 30 times higher than traditional VC and Coenzyme Q10, precisely targeting the health market demands for anti-aging and cell protection. Currently, the product is available through the WeChat mini-program and direct sales in Japanese drugstores. In the future, it also plans to expand to JD Overseas Purchase and Tmall International. According to the data from the mini-program, its sales have exceeded 18 million yuan.
However, on June 5th, renowned biologist, former president of Capital Medical University, current deputy director of the University Affairs Committee of Peking University and director of the School of Science, Rao Yi, published an article titled “Fake Viagra is supported by muscular men in full view, while the real Viagra is only testified by a tiny ‘mouse'” on his WeChat public account “Rao’s Thoughts on Science”. The article directly pointed the finger at meclofenoxate, stating that it is “fake medicine”. Combining the expressions such as “the chairman’s naked man showing his muscles” in the article, it is easy to see that this article is precisely targeting the previous “product promotion” behavior of Kelon Pharmaceutical and its chairman.
Rao Yi pointed out in the article, “Any drug that lacks sufficient convincing evidence and fails to obtain approval as a genuine medicine is a fake drug. It can only deceive people by presenting itself as a health supplement.” He further elaborated, “If it really has the effect of prolonging life for animals or humans, someone would have provided sufficient evidence to obtain approval from the drug regulatory department long ago. Due to the lack of evidence and failure to obtain approval, the sellers took the path of health supplements.”
So, is ergothioneine really a “fake drug”? The core of this controversy lies in its actual efficacy and approval status. Ergothioneine is a sulfur-containing amino acid. It has been discovered in numerous studies to have potential in areas such as antioxidation, anti-aging, anti-inflammation, and neuroprotection, and is thus widely used in the fields of medicine, food, and cosmetics. However, there is still considerable controversy regarding its actual efficacy. The data from large-scale human trials is limited, and there is not enough clinical evidence to fully confirm the benefits of ergothioneine for human health. Moreover, industry experts also point out that there is still some unknown space regarding the mechanism of its efficacy and the safety of long-term use.
In response to Rao Yi’s doubts, on June 6th, Kelon Pharmaceutical promptly made a rebuttal, stating that Rao Yi’s viewpoint was “a bit arbitrary and biased towards dietary supplements”. Kelon Pharmaceutical emphasized that ergothioneine, as a dietary supplement rather than a medicine, has value in preventing risks and managing health for the general population. “How could there be the term ‘fake medicine’?” To support its position, Kelon Pharmaceutical cited two studies published in “Cell Metabolism”. One study showed that in the Caenorhabditis elegans model, ergothioneine significantly prolonged the average lifespan of the worms by 20±2%, while improving their movement ability and stress resistance; the other study from Harvard Medical School revealed that supplementing with ergothioneine significantly increased the running distance of mice by approximately 14% and their speed by approximately 28%.
Regarding the response from Kelong Pharmaceutical, Rao Yi gave 7 replies on the afternoon of the 6th. He firmly stated, “In general, I believe that health supplements are not worth excessive promotion. And the vast majority of health supplements promoted in China so far have deceived people, deceived money, and damaged social morality.” He also refuted Kelong Pharmaceutical’s response by saying, “Kelong’s so-called rebuttal has no evidence to prove that taking ergothioneine can give people the skin thickness and muscle content shown in the picture of Chairman Liu Gengxin. The misleading information in that advertisement lies here. Avoiding the point and twisting the words is just the usual trick used by health supplement merchants (not entrepreneurs); Kelong is a pharmaceutical factory and should know the drug approval standards and procedures. How could they not do it? It can’t be that they are lacking in confidence, can it?”
This debate over whether lysergic acid diethylamide is a “fake drug” reflects not only an exploration of the efficacy of a product, but also a complex game involving scientific verification standards, commercial promotion strategies, and consumer rights protection. For consumers, when facing such disputes, they need to remain rational and cautious, and not be misled by exaggerated publicity. For enterprises and researchers, how to further achieve broader recognition of the product’s efficacy and value through rigorous scientific research and transparent information disclosure is an urgent issue to be addressed. At the same time, regulatory authorities also need to play a more active and effective role in regulating market order and protecting consumer rights.
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