A business owner in Langley, B.C., is under scrutiny by the federal competition bureau after a Calgary customer complained about how he markets unapproved medical devices to cancer patients.
“I’ve been taken advantage of financially, along with my wife, who was taken advantage of because she lost her hope,” said Calgary resident Tim Hill, whose wife, Moira, died last year from colorectal cancer.
Saul Pressman, CEO of Plasmafire International, sold Moira an ozone generator and spa system over the internet. She paid $6,950 for both units. Records show Pressman shipped the generator but not the spa system.
“Toward the end, there was no respect from him for my wife,” Hill said, choking back tears. “When you are at your lowest, it is really hard to fight this.” Moira was told that nothing more could be done to fight her cancer. After reading about ozone treatments, Hill said, his wife believed they were her last hope for a cure, because proponents of the alternative treatment claim ozone can kill cancer cells.
The generators administer ozone through a tube that can be inserted in the ear, anus or female genitals. The spa systems deliver it by steam. Pressman told Moira by email that she could use his generator to feed ozone into her body “immediately.”
Ozone generators are not approved as medical devices for cancer treatment in Canada.