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.
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.
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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.