A gastroenterologist from Nîmes injected hyaluronic acid into obese patients to make them lose weight, outside of any legal framework. He will be tried in July 2024.
- In Nîmes, a doctor will be tried in July 2024 for fraud, forgery, involuntary injuries and deception regarding a service.
- This gastroenterologist gave hyaluronic acid injections to obese patients to make them lose weight.
- Without any legal framework, these injections were carried out on more than 500 patients.
He injected hyaluronic acid into the stomachs of his obese patients to make them lose weight. A Nîmes gastroenterologist will be judged in July 2024, reports France 3. He was indicted in 2018 for forgery, fraud, involuntary injuries and deception regarding a service, following a complaint from the CPAM du Gard filed in 2015. More than 500 people were victims of his methods, non- validated by health authorities.
Hyaluronic acid for weight loss: an ineffective and dangerous treatment
This doctor would have performed these injections on his obese patients by endoscopy in the stomach, under general anesthesia. “This protocol was tested in Lyon between 2010 and 2012 and social security refused to validate it, considering that it presented risks of complications.reports France 3. At Parisiana source close to the matter elaborates: “This treatment has been ruled out by the authorities not only because it is ineffective, because its effect fades over time, but also because of the risk of medical complications which can be fatal.“
It is precisely a case of serious complications which made it possible to identify the practices of this doctor. In 2014, a man was admitted to the emergency room of the Nîmes hospital center because of one of these injections, supposed to make him lose weight by reducing the feeling of hunger. The patient recovered, but the Regional Health Agency was alarmed. Indeed, several cases of people hospitalized for complications linked to these injections have been recorded. The investigation will identify 515 victims, between 2011 and 2015, of these illegal injections. More than 150 individuals came forward later, following a call for witnesses.
Illegal injections: the doctor claims to have carried out a clinical trial
Furthermore, the gastroenterologist billed his procedures as endoscopies, which allowed him to be reimbursed by the primary health insurance fund. According to THE Parisian, the organization paid him more than 445,000 euros. According to information from Noon Free, the gastroenterologist claimed that he was carrying out clinical trials, but the investigation did not confirm his statements. His lawyer explained that his client had “no intention to commit an offense” to the Montpellier media. He will have to explain himself next July before the Nîmes criminal court.
