A variety of weight loss products are being promoted online that claim to be by New Zealand doctors, but there's little evidence the doctors are real. Photo: 123rf / RNZ photo illustration
Explainer - She's smiling out from her Facebook page, offering "trusted expertise" on weight loss products that are "made in New Zealand".
The thing is, Dr Anna Kowalska doesn't actually exist.
The medicine she's promoting is not approved for use in New Zealand - and probably not made here at all.
She's one of a flood of fake medical professionals flooding social media hawking weight loss products and trying to capitalise on the popularity of GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy.
There is no doctor named Anna Kowalska registered on the Medical Council of New Zealand's public register, and internet searches for her only turn up the same social media profile.
A reverse image search shows that the image being used as the account's profile photo is actually a stock photo image from iStock titled "blonde woman doctor in office". Another "doctor" by the exact same name on Facebook claims to be a physician at Harvard Medical School and is also selling the same kind of products.
A video that appears to be created by AI claims to show a New Zealand doctor's dramatic weight loss. Photo: Screenshot
Another Facebook page shows a video of an "Emily Johnson" who claims to be a doctor at Auckland City Hospital. The video over a jaunty music soundtrack seems to show time-lapse footage of her weight dropping from 127 to 45kg, but the rubbery-looking video shows all the signs of having been created by AI. The post is an advertisement for a "6-in-1 health oral liquid" that claims to be Medsafe certified. No doctor named Emily Johnson is on the Medical Council's register.
"Medsafe never endorses or promotes any specific health product, service or brand," a Ministry of Health spokesperson told RNZ. "Any advertisements claiming Medsafe endorsements are fake."
Medsafe also issued a warning earlier this year about such claims.
Still another so-called New Zealand physician is also introduced on the Kowalska page, "well-known New Zealand doctor of endocrinology Prof. John Reed" who - you guessed it - doesn't seem to exist outside of Facebook.
The page transparency information on both of these Facebook pages actually shows that the pages are apparently managed from Hong Kong.
They appear to be part of a very common trend of dodgy wellness posts on social media, now frequently made with a little help from AI.
"Online options for weight loss can be a predatory space given the stigma and bias many of these individuals have experienced," said Dr Nicole Wilde, an Auckland physician who specialises in obesity medicine.
The same phenomenon has been seen across the ditch in Australia with even more fake doctors and AI videos that are almost exactly the same as the "Emily Johnson" one.
Links on the Facebook pages will send visitors to a shop storefront that claims to be based in New Zealand, festooned with colourful slogans and talk about satisfied customers. The website shows the Ministry of Health and Medsafe logos along with a New Zealand flag, and features multiple weight-loss story testimonials supposedly from people in New Zealand.
However, people online have said such goods are often arriving from China.
A post on Facebook about medicine claiming to be made in New Zealand. Photo: Screenshot
A search of the shopping website domain registry shows it is registered via a proxy service on behalf of the actual registrant with a mailing address in Arizona given. There's no sign a business of the name on the webpage is based anywhere in New Zealand.
"Anyone promoting one weight loss treatment is oversimplifying a complex medical condition," Dr Wilde said. "There is no one treatment that works for everyone."
Why are these pages a bad thing?
Because they're eroding trust in medical professionals, and could actually be dangerous, Dr Wilde said.
"These pages list doctors as though they endorse the product or are monitoring the supplement/medication, but the doctors on many web pages don't exist.
"Someone could pay for the weight loss product and never receive it, or worse receive a product that could cause harm."
Dr Rachelle Love, chair of the Medical Council of New Zealand, said false profiles are rife online but they can be checked out.
"The safest way for anyone to confirm whether a person is a registered doctor in New Zealand is to check the council's online public register, which is the authoritative source of information about doctors' registration and practising certificate status.
"The council regulates doctors who are registered to practise in New Zealand, but we do not have jurisdiction over individuals or companies overseas who may create these false pages.
"We remind people to be extremely cautious of unknown overseas websites selling medicines," the Ministry of Health spokesperson said.
"We cannot verify the safety or efficacy of any of these products, and there is no way to tell if they contain harmful or undisclosed ingredients when ordering them online."
The internet can also allow companies to easily skirt regulatory requirements.
"These pages are selling a product with no oversight by Medsafe or any regulatory body that ensures the product is safe or effective," Dr Wilde said. "If a product claims to treat, cure or prevent a disease then it should be classified as a medicine and dispensed through a medical provider."
Advertising such products can also violate local laws, she said.
"New Zealand law restricts direct to consumer advertising of prescription only medications and anyone promoting only one weight loss treatment could have a conflict of interest (financial gain)."
Many products being advertised claim, falsely, they are approved by NZ authorities and use Medsafe logos. Photo: Screenshot
Why are they selling GLP-1 products, anyway?
GLP-1 is a naturally occurring hormone that helps regulate blood sugar and appetite. GLP-1 receptor agonist products mimic that hormone, and are used for Type 2 diabetes management and weight loss.
GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic are now widely marketed to help treat obesity, but there has also been a rise in companies selling unauthorised supplements or treatments.
In New Zealand, GLP-1 products approved for use for weight management are types of liraglutide (Saxenda, Victoza, Benedo) and semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy), the Ministry of Health said.
Medsafe also has an online product search which people can check to see if a medication is approved here.
Wegovy hit the market here in July. It's not currently funded by Pharmac and runs about $500 per month for the weekly injections. GLP-1 products being spruiked online by some of the Facebook linked websites are advertised for far less, often under $50.
The Facebook fake doctor posts are advertisements for a kind of GLP-1 "oral liquid" product that would not require an injection like Wegovy does.
Again, these aren't approved in New Zealand - and aren't as effective, Dr Wilde said.
"There is one oral GLP-1 used for diabetes, oral semaglutide or Rybelsus. This medication is not available in New Zealand.
"There have been several studies to compare oral semaglutide to placebo for weight loss and there is weight reduction when using oral semaglutide, but currently there is no oral GLP-1 medication on the market for weight loss."
Oral semaglutide is generally less effective for weight loss than injected medication, she said.
"False or misleading claims can be a risk to public safety and undermine trust in doctors," Dr Love of the Medical Council said.
"We encourage people to be cautious about health information and products promoted online."
Medsafe said it did not have information on the number of people in New Zealand who might have experienced adverse reactions as a result of using unapproved weight loss medicines.
"However, we note there are a number of significant side effects associated with weight loss medicines," the Ministry of Health spokesperson said, noting that any medication should be reviewed with health care professionals to consider benefits, side effects and possible interactions.
The Facebook page for "Dr Anna Kowalska" claims she is a New Zealand doctor. She isn't. Photo: Screenshot
So what should you do rather than 'liking' fake doctors online?
It may be common sense, but speaking to an actual doctor in real life is the best way to get started when it comes to the growing field of weight loss medications.
"Anything that claims to be a quick fix is usually a red flag," Dr Wilde said. "Weight management is multifactorial and involves genetics, hormones, mental health, diet, physical activity and social factors."
While Wegovy is currently the big player in the field in New Zealand, "There are other medications or treatments available and more medications are expected to be available soon," she said.
"This is an exciting space to be in for treatment options with next-generation drugs and combination drugs being studied and looking very effective.
"As a medical community we are obtaining a better understanding of the physiology and hormones that create and maintain weight gain and this is allowing for improved treatment options of a complex medical condition. It is a very hopeful field to work in right now and we are seeing amazing results with the newer medications."
Dr Wilde said it pays to be cautious, although online medical services can still be helpful.
"We also use online options for speed and ease," she said. "It isn't all bad as telemedicine in this space can be helpful to reach people in remote places of New Zealand or allow them to speak about themselves and their journey in the comfort of their own home."
How are these kinds of pages allowed online?
Blame the wild west of social media, where opportunistic overseas operators can easily set up fake pages and due to their slippery nature are hard to regulate.
Meta's community standards policies state that "we don't allow people to misrepresent themselves on our services, (or) use fake accounts."
But pages will frequently pop up, be removed, and similar pages emerge days later.
"False advertisements on social media are a known issue around the world," the Ministry of Health spokesperson said.
"In many cases, taking enforcement action is difficult, especially when companies are based overseas. Medsafe monitors and reports these advertisements to website domain name registrars and Meta. However, as soon as a website or advertising is removed another appears.
"We encourage people to report these advertisements to Facebook when they see them."
When asked by RNZ about the posts pretending to be New Zealand doctors or promoting products as approved by Medsafe, Facebook and its owner company Meta did not respond.
Unfortunately, there are likely plenty more fake doctors where Dr Anna Kowalska came from.
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