Mariel Rodriguez not liable for IV drip use, says DOH

MANILA, Philippines — TV host and actress Mariel Rodriguez-Padilla will not be held legally responsible for using an unauthorized glutathione injectable within Senate premises.

Mariel recently drew flak from netizens after receiving her intravenous (IV) drip from wellness provider "Drip in Luxe" while inside the office of her husband Sen. Robinhood Padilla.

"It’s more [of] an ethical issue. [It] means a doctor prescribed a drug as 'off label' use," said Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa in an interview with Philstar.com this Saturday.

"There is only a liability when there is harm. Which means the patient can sue the doctor that prescribed it." 

Herbosa last January cautioned the public from using said IV glutathione for skin whitening, saying that it's not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). According to him, it's off-label use and illegal.

This comes after a 39-year-old woman died within hours after getting glutathione and stem cell therapy administered through IV last month.

"[This is] similar to Ozempic, a drug for diabetics being used by people who want to lose weight," continued Herbosa.

Drip in Luxe's Beauty and Vitamin Drip is said to contain Glutathione, Vitamin C, Antioxidants, Natural Collagen, Kojic Acid, Human Placenta Extract, Embryonic Stem Cell, Vitamin B Complex and Amino Acid.

Philstar.com earlier tried contacting Rodriguez-Padilla regarding the controversy but has yet to respond with a reply.

The FDA in a 2019 advisory clarified that the use of IV glutathione is only currently permitted as an adjust treatment in cisplatin chemotherapy.

However, several health and beauty salons, wellness spas and beauty clinics are said to be offering the aforementioned for beauty enhancements, services and skin treatments.

Among the side effects include "toxic effects on the liver, kidneys, and nervous system [and] the possibility of Stevens Johnson Syndrome."

Injectable Vitamin C is also said to form kidney stones if the urine is acidic. In large doses, the injectable vitamin may result in hemodialysis in patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency.

"Given that glutathione affects the production of melanin (the pigment that