[PHNOM PENH POST]
Senior officials at the Ministry of Information this week demanded the
halt of a toothpaste advertising campaign that promised not only whiter
teeth, but to cure skin and liver diseases, as well as cancer.
The product, however, was never registered with the Ministry of Health.
Advertising
for Heng Bora Company’s HBR toothpaste claimed that it relieved high
blood pressure, nose infect-ions, liver disease and even physical
disabilities.
The product could also be rubbed on the skin as a balm, according to the advertising.
In
the ban on product advertising, the Ministry of Information said the
company had failed to register the product correctly. Heng Bora’s pitch
was unsubstantiated, confusing to the public and could cause potential
danger to users if the product proved to be unsafe, the ministry said.
The
Ministry of Health had appealed to the Ministry of Information to halt
the advertising, according to an official letter from health officials
dated October 13.
Heng Bora’s toothpaste advertisement played on
the Kingdom’s radio stations, and motorists could find the company’s
signboards along thoroughfares in Phnom Penh.
Minister of
Information Khieu Kanharith said proper registration with the health
ministry could save HBR toothpaste from being banned.
“We cannot
stop the company’s advertisement completely if the company’s owner
follows technical standards and registers properly at the Ministry of
Health,” he said.
Prak Piseth Rainsey, health care director at
the Ministry of Health, said the biggest risk of using unregistered
products was the potential for a high mercury content, which could cause
some of the ailments the toothpaste claimed to cure.
Officials at the Heng Bora Company’s offices in Phnom Penh denied a Post reporter’s requests for comment.
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