Scientists Warn Over Anti-Ageing Treatments After Mazonakis Death

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Two prominent Greek scientists in biology and medicine have warned the public about unproven treatments marketed as “regenerative” or “anti-ageing” following the sudden death of singer Giorgos Mazonakis.

Maria Gazouli, Professor of Biology and Nanomedicine at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) Medical School and Greece’s national representative on the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Committee for Advanced Therapies (CAT), and Maria “Maya” Roumpelaki, Professor of Biology and Applications of Regenerative Medicine at the NKUA Medical School, addressed the issue in separate social media posts.

Their interventions focus on what they describe as the ease with which members of the public can be persuaded by claims surrounding medical procedures presented as “regenerative” or “anti-ageing”.

Gazouli stressed that people should not be swayed by impressive terminology or promises. Instead, she urged the public to check whether a treatment has undergone proper evaluation and received approval from the relevant regulatory authorities for the specific medical indication.

She also highlighted the importance of examining whether sufficient scientific evidence supports a treatment’s effectiveness and safety.

Gazouli called for systematic oversight by the competent authorities of procedures promoted as medical treatments, particularly when providers market them directly to the public.

“Science needs evidence, transparency and accountability — not impressions and easy promises,” she said.

Drawing on her experience with the EMA’s Committee for Advanced Therapies, Gazouli noted that the committee had raised concerns about similar issues several years ago.

She stressed that scientific evidence and strict regulatory oversight remain essential to distinguish a promising therapeutic approach from a commercial promise.

Roumpelaki took a similar position, bringing renewed attention to the promotion and use of therapeutic approaches that, she said, may lack sufficient scientific evidence for the specific indication for which they are offered.

She stressed that her concerns stand independently of the precise cause of Mazonakis’ death and do not establish any connection between his death and a medical treatment.

Roumpelaki also referred to repeated statements by the Hellenic Society for Gene Therapy and Regenerative Medicine concerning similar practices.

Among them, she highlighted the society’s April 27, 2026 conference, “Truths and Myths About Cell Therapies”, which aimed to provide the public with reliable information. She also referred to formal written interventions that the society has submitted to the relevant authorities.

Roumpelaki expressed concern over the continued promotion of treatments to the public using terms such as “regenerative” and “anti-ageing”.

She questioned whether it is always clear to patients whether such treatments have received the necessary authorisation, what scientific evidence supports them, what indications regulators have approved and what safety data exist.

She concluded that protecting and properly informing patients and the public requires responsibility, transparency and the practice of medicine based on scientifically established evidence.

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