In 2020, Australian doctor Adam Smith, mononymously known as “Doc Adam,” rejoiced when the dietary supplements of Filipino doctor Farrah Agustin-Bunch weren’t approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Just this week, Smith couldn’t be happier when the Agustin-Bunch case filed against the judge and the FDA’s director general in the Court of Appeals has been dismissed.
The Filipino-speaking physician-vlogger uploaded a video on his YouTube channel with the title, “Goodbye Dr. Farrah (Ulit),” informing the public that the case filed by Agustin-Bunch against Judge Amelia Fabros-Corpuz and the Director General of Food and Drug Administration Nela Charade Puno, among others was dismissed on May 18, 2023.
At the beginning of the said video, Dr. Adam can be seen wearing a party hat and taking a shot of liquor with some whiteboards on the background containing words such as “Happy Case Dismissed day” and “Case Dismissed”. His video proceeds with a summary of Dr. Farrah’s issue with health misinformation.
In August 2018, the Dr. Farrah Agustin-Bunch Natural Medical Center located in Barangay Maluid in Tarlac was shut down by the FDA following the alleged selling of unregistered supplements (herbal medicines) for treating cancer, arthritis, and other illnesses. Following the raid of her center, the Filipino doctor’s license was revoked, leaving her with no choice but to close her outpatient clinic, too.
As Smith tried to educate his Filipino viewers with Bunch’s purported medical advice, the latter tried to sue him in Australia with a “cyber libel” case. As the Aussie doctor faced legal threats, he revealed that he didn’t only spend 500,000 Australian dollars on the said lawsuit; he also spent a lot of time dealing with anxiety and neglecting many days of his personal and professional life. Regardless, he confirmed that he got strong evidence against the doctor-turned-naturopath and that he would continue educating the public about fake medical-related advice.
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