TV Natura faces fine for promoting ivermectin and risky remedies
The Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting has opened an investigation into the internet television station Natura. The station's programming has been found to contain illegal promotion of ivermectin, the use of veterinary drugs, and other problematic products.
Natura TV is operated by singer Jana Peterková and broadcasts online and on HbbTV. The station's programs are rotated in a loop that lasts several hours. The station's license describes it as a program focused on the topic of "natural lifestyle, nature, and personal development."
In early December of last year, a teleshopping segment titled "Natural Home First Aid Kit" appeared in the evening program. "In the teleshopping, viewers were advised to illegally obtain the drug Iverzine, which is not registered in the Czech Republic," the Broadcasting Council discovered.
"Bring that ivermectin," said one of the teleshopping hosts, who further recommended that viewers use a veterinary product intended for horses. "I actually got an ivermectin paste from a vet, which, when things are really bad, can be put into the nose, and the runny nose basically doesn't exist the next day, it just stops, you know. For various cold sores and such things," the Natura TV broadcast enticed viewers.
According to the Broadcasting Council's assessment, the promotion of these products included the presentation of their therapeutic effects despite the looming health risks associated with the unprofessional use of the drug and possible overdose.
Furthermore, the teleshopping promoted a dietary supplement called Vitamin C with a recommendation to take two capsules at once, three times a day. However, the manufacturer's dosage instructions for this supplement state to take one tablet per day and explicitly warn against exceeding the recommended dosage. The recommendation in the teleshopping, however, amounted to up to six times the dose compared to the manufacturer's recommendation.
The Council also finds the promotion of the cosmetic product Colloidal Silver problematic. Viewers were encouraged to use it internally, even though Czech legislation prohibits the use of colloidal silver in this way due to potential health risks.
On the same day at night, Natura TV aired another teleshopping segment titled "Magnetotherapy," in which the devices Ulticare LT 99 and Biotorus LT 100 were promoted. As part of their presentation, it was recommended to use these devices after chemotherapy, as the "bitten out cells are put in order." However, this is in direct contradiction with the manufacturer's statement, which, in the list of contraindications on its website, advises against using the devices in such cases.
Under the influence of the statements made in these teleshopping segments, viewers with potential health problems could rely on the recommendations provided, or on the promoted products, thereby neglecting proper care of their health or even seriously endangering it.
The Council for Radio and Television Broadcasting pointed out that, according to the law, television stations must not broadcast commercial communications that promote behavior that endangers health. The TV station now faces a fine.
