Claim: In a supposed published article in The Manila Times on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website, former special adviser to the National Task Force Against COVID-19, Dr. Anthony Leachon, endorses Grandsure Gold nutrient drink, a product that can supposedly prevent osteoarthritis.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of a website advertising Grandsure Gold uses the FDA’s name, which could mislead the public into thinking the product is FDA-approved.

Leachon’s name and pictures recently circulated in some marketing materials in different social media platforms endorsing health products.

The facts: In a Facebook post on April 4, Leachon debunked the claim and called it “fake news.” He clarified that he is not affiliated with www.fdaapprove.com and reminded the public that his official and verified Facebook account is Dr. Tony Leachon. 

Fake website: The official URL of FDA Philippines is  fda.gov.ph, not fdaapprove.com. Furthermore, the said Grandsure Gold health article is not published on the official website of The Manila Times. The original Leachon’s quote card is from ABS-CBN published on December 30, 2020, and not about the prevention of osteoarthritis.

Unregistered products: The list of approved food products and drug products maintained by the FDA does not include Grandsure Gold. Searches using the keyword “Grandsure” and “Grandsure Gold” did not yield any registration information about the said products. 

On March 27, the Rappler team fact-checked a claim regarding Leachon’s supposed endorsement of Glufarelin that can supposedly cure diabetes.

To verify and check if the food product and drug product are registered, go to the FDA Verification Portal. – Owenh Jake Toledo/Rappler.com

Owenh Jake Toledo is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.