{
  "id": 5011377,
  "title": "Medical centres denounced for fake vaccine claims",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/medical-centres-denounced-for-fake-vaccine-claims-5011377",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-02T03:54:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "RTHK English",
    "slug": "rthk-english",
    "url": "https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1868499-20260902.htm"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Medical sector lawmaker David Lam expressed concerns on Wednesday regarding several medical centers being accused of fraudulent activity for promoting a vaccine that claims to prevent multiple cancers. The Department of Health stated that they were investigating the matter, including potential enforcement actions.\n\nIn July, the Department of Health became aware that HK Pacific Asia Medical Centre and its affiliated organizations were making claims on social media that they were offering the Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) vaccine. It was noted that the WT1 vaccine is not a registered pharmaceutical product in Hong Kong, and no relevant registration records were found with drug regulatory authorities in mainland China or overseas.\n\nThe department emphasized that the treatment claims made by the medical centers were misleading and potentially fraudulent, as they could discourage individuals from seeking appropriate medical treatment. Speaking on an RTHK radio program, Lam urged authorities to remove the advertisements for the vaccine from relevant platforms and conduct investigations into the organizations responsible for making these claims.\n\nLam emphasized the importance of taking action to protect public health, stating that allowing such advertisements to circulate freely could pose a significant threat to the public. He criticized the unethical behavior of those distributing the vaccine, accusing them of exploiting people's fear of cancer and patients' desperation to lure them into receiving the unverified treatment. Lam stressed the need for the public to seek medical advice before using any new pharmaceutical products.",
  "summary": "Medical sector lawmaker David Lam on Wednesday accused several medical centres of fraud for claiming to offer a vaccine that prevents multiple cancers without supporting clinical data. The Department of Health said in an earlier statement that it was following up on the matter, including carrying out enforcement actions. The department was alerted in July that HK Pacific Asia Medical Centre and…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "RTHK News",
        "title": "Medical centres denounced for fake vaccine claims",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/medical-centres-denounced-for-fake-vaccine-claims",
        "published": "2026-09-02T03:54:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}