An NHS doctor who helped to lead medics’ demands for a 35 per cent pay rise has been selling a drug used for skin whitening, a Mail on Sunday investigation has found.
Dr Adam Daneshmend, a council member of the British Medical Association (BMA), is “founder and CEO” of Vital Healthcare Solutions which runs a website called Glutathione Shop UK, which sells vials of a drug called glutathione for intravenous injection.
Use of glutathione, which is usually applied as a skin whitener by women of Asian or Afro-Caribbean origin, has been described as a “dangerous fad” by the American Medical Council on Science and Health and criticised as “unethical” and “potentially dangerous” by the British Medical Journal.
Some governments advise against its use because it may have “toxic effects on the liver, kidneys and nervous system”.
As a BMA council member, Dr Daneshmend has helped to drive industrial action by doctors which has crippled the NHS, as the Government has also faced damaging strikes by teachers and train drivers.
He joined picket lines this year when junior doctors held four-day and three-day strikes over their pay demands, which Ministers have criticised for being “unrealistic”.
These strikes helped lead to the cancellation of an estimated 370,000 appointments and operations.
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow is a supporter of IV-injected glutathione to combat ageing and boost health, saying it was one of her “favourite” injected drugs.
The claim has been dismissed by doctors. Popular American health website WebMD says: “People take glutathione for ageing, alcohol use disorder, liver disease, heart disease and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.”
When The Mail on Sunday contacted Dr Daneshmend, he first denied having anything to do with Glutathione Shop UK and then said it may be linked to his company, which has been running for two years.
When asked about glutathione, he then abruptly put the phone down.
Later, Dr Daneshmend sent a statement saying that the website was not fully operational yet and was not advertised.
He added that glutathione was not advertised on the website as a skin-whitening product. He said: “This website was never fully operational, nor was it advertised, but was created as a proof of concept. The website should not have been searchable and was not carried forwards due to commercial reasons.”
“One product planned for sale was glutathione – a legal and approved supplement commonly available both online and on the high street from pharmacies, fitness supplement retailers and wellness shops. The other product was vitamin C.”
“Glutathione is an antioxidant naturally produced by the body and people take it for many reasons, including to boost their immune system and for liver health.”
“Glutathione was not marketed on the website as a skin-lightening or bleaching product.”
Dr Daneshmend also pointed out glutathione is found in high-street health shops like Holland & Barrett.
After we placed our calls to him, the website for Glutathione Shop UK was taken down, as well as Dr Daneshmend’s Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media pages.
The BMA declined to comment.