UA video that recirculated on social media shows the doctor identified as Dr Nasser saying that the drugs suramin and ivermectin can work as an antidote against protein S generated from vaccination against Covid-19. The excerpt from the recording comes with the title “Good news for repentant or deceived vaccinated people! THIS IS TRUE SCIENCE!” and also “Learn how to eliminate the vaccine from your body. Dr Nasser, MD PHD at Albert Einstein Hospital*”.
There is no scientific evidence to demonstrate that the substance suramin can prevent the Covid-19 vaccine from working in the body, nor is there any medical indication for the use of ivermectin by people immunized against the disease. The content investigated here is part of a lecture given by doctor José Augusto Nasser at the “Liberty and Democracy Meeting”, held in November 2021 in São José, Santa Catarina. At that time, the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) warned of the lack of evidence of the possible benefits of ivermectin.
The doctor, who has already been the target of other Comprova investigations, argues that the medicines should be used to repair mitochondria (structures within cells) that are supposedly destroyed by protein S generated from vaccination, which is not true. He also says that suramin can be consumed through fennel tea, a medicinal plant recommended for improving digestion, combating cramps and relieving nausea, but the substance is, in fact, manufactured in a laboratory.
To Comprova, pharmaceutical company Bayer, which synthesized the medicine for the first time in 1904, said that the antiparasitic is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an essential medicine to treat tropical diseases. “There is no indication in the leaflet for use related to Covid-19 and the medicine is not sold in Brazil”, explained the company.
Eduardo Silveira, professor at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of São Paulo (USP), explains that the S protein stimulates the production of antibodies to combat any possible coronavirus infection and that it does not remain in the body. “When we take a vaccine, it is quickly processed. So, for this supposed vaccine detox to work, this protein would have to circulate forever, which doesn’t happen.”
According to the expert, mitochondria serve as the cell’s metabolic engine. “No one has shown absolutely anything about the role of spike [proteína S] in the mitochondria of an infected cell. On the contrary, once the virus invades that cell, it begins the replication process. So, to try to win over the public, it is a use of words that have no relationship whatsoever with reality.”
When contacted by the report, Albert Einstein Hospital reported that doctor José Augusto Nasser was never part of the institution’s clinical staff, contrary to what the video claims.
As of March 12, the publication had 145.4 thousand views on X.
PFirstly, Comprova looked for other checks made on doctor José Nasser’s statement about suramin as an antidote to the effects of the vaccine against Covid-19. He then contacted Bayer, a pharmaceutical company that produces suramin, and Anvisa. Afterwards, the report interviewed the professor at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the University of São Paulo (USP) Eduardo Silveira and the president of the São Paulo Society of Infectious Diseases, Carlos Magno Fortaleza. Finally, Comprova made contact with the doctor José Nasser himself.
During the presentation, the doctor mentions a Swedish study that suggests that the S protein can integrate into DNA and interfere with its repair process. He says this raises concerns about the possibility of vaccines having genotoxic and carcinogenic effects, that is, the ability to cause mutations in genetic material and potentially cause cancer.
The doctor states that the aforementioned article offers a detailed analysis of how the S protein can interrupt DNA repair, emphasizing the constant importance of this process to prevent the development of tumors.
Comprova asked the doctor for the study he was referring to, but Nasser did not send the publication. According to Estadão Verifica, the sources he cited during the presentation refer to research published in the magazine Viruses in October 2021, conducted by researchers from Stockholm University and Umeå University, in Sweden, weeks before the lecture held by the doctor.
The article in question was removed from the journal in 2022 because one of the authors discovered that the document presented an inadequate experimental design. This means that the framework that guided data collection and statistical analysis was incorrect. Therefore, the research conclusions are not valid.
In the lecture, the doctor defends the consumption of suramin through fennel tea and white pine needle tea. In the international press, experts emphasize that there are no reports that the substance can be found in nature, as it was synthesized from a dye called trypan blue, commonly used in laboratories for cell staining. Furthermore, consumption carries risks of kidney and liver toxicity, eye reactions, adrenal insufficiency and anemia.
“Ingesting tea will cause this content to be in the stomach and intestine, the natural way. But these regions do not contain cells that are normally infected by the virus. So, for this doctor’s idea to work, in addition to having a high concentration of this suramin, it would still have to be translocated from the digestive tract and remain circulating in the body until the individual is infected or vaccinated”, says Professor Eduardo Silveira.
UA study published in the journal Nature in April 2023 investigated whether suramin would be able to inhibit the connection between the virus’s spike protein and human cells, preventing infection. The research was conducted by institutions in the United States and South Korea. Structures of the wild-type, Delta and Ômicron variants were analyzed in in vitro assays.
One of the results observed was that “suramin is a potent inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 infection and is more active against the Ômicron variant”. Scientists say, however, that the research is not conclusive. “Given that suramin is not approved in the United States due to toxicity concerns, further pharmacological studies and clinical trials are needed to demonstrate the efficacy of repurposed suramin as a therapeutic for Covid-19 or as post-exposure prophylaxis, e.g. like nasal spray.”
The study does not make reference to the possible use of suramin to eliminate protein S from the body, as suggested by the doctor in the video verified here. For the president of the São Paulo Society of Infectious Diseases, Carlos Magno Fortaleza, the vaccine detox thesis is irrational. “Firstly, because detox means detoxifying, removing toxins from the body. And the vaccine does not create, inject, or make the body produce toxins. What vaccines do is induce an immunological response, either through antibodies or through cells of the immune system, against an agent”, he explains.
In Brazil, there are no indications approved by Anvisa for medications with suramin. “We emphasize that only clinical trials that aim to support the registration of the medicine are subject to analysis and approval by Anvisa. Research of a scientific or academic nature does not depend on authorization”, says a note sent by the agency to Comprova.
The Ministry of Health reaffirmed that the Covid-19 vaccination had “a great impact on reducing morbidity and mortality from the disease, preventing thousands of deaths and hospitalizations in Brazil”. He also reinforced that suramin has been used in medicine in different contexts as it has antiparasitic and anti-inflammatory properties. But he made it clear that the medicine must be used as indicated in the leaflet. “To date, there are no studies or evidence that demonstrate that this substance interferes with the effectiveness of vaccines against Covid-19 or other vaccines”, says the note.
Comprova sought out the person responsible for publishing it on X, but received no response. The report also contacted the doctor José Nasser himself, who reaffirmed that suramin does inhibit the effects of the Covid-19 vaccine and that the studies have already been well publicized “in other disputes”. The doctor also stated that he no longer recommends fennel tea “for other reasons”, but did not give details. “The medical discussion must be carried out in a medical environment and I am not responsible for the many videos that may still be circulating that are not mine. Unfortunately, this content is edited, cloned and anything can be done with it”, said Nasser, who, as stated above, has already had the content verified by Comprova.
The disinformation tactic linked to this content is the manipulation of scientific facts to promote a false sense of security or alternative healing, without being based on concrete scientific evidence. To guard against such misleading content, it is essential to seek reliable sources, recognized experts and proven studies for information about health and vaccination. Furthermore, it is important to develop critical thinking and question dubious information, checking its veracity before sharing it, thus helping to contain the spread of misinformation.
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