Clinic fined $3m over hyperbaric therapy claims

Melbourne clinic run by Malcolm Hooper in court for promoting hyperbaric oxygen treatment for PTSD and other conditions
Australian Associated Press
Malcolm Hooper.

An alternative health clinic and the man who ran it have been fined $3 million for advertising hyperbaric oxygen therapy online without regulatory approval. 

The Federal Court on Friday ordered Malcolm Hooper to pay $1 million and his company Oxymed $2 million for advertising the therapy on its website and Facebook page.

The “pseudo-scientific” posts between February and August last year suggested Oxymed’s hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) could be effective treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, cerebral palsy, dementia, COVID-19, stroke, HIV/AIDS, cancer, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. 

“The overall impression intended to be imparted to the vulnerable non-scientific reader from the deluge of apparently scientific articles is that HBOT is a credible form of treatment for many diseases and chronic conditions,” Justice Helen Rofe said in her written reasons.