Has Ben Carson endorsed specific drugs or medical devices and when were those endorsements made?
Executive summary
Ben Carson has publicly endorsed political candidates (notably Donald Trump on March 11, 2016 and again in 2023/2024) and has been associated with commercial medical-supplement companies through speeches and paid roles — but reporting shows both genuine past appearances for supplement maker Mannatech and later denials or fact-checks discrediting many online “endorsement” ads; he also took a paid advisory role with Galectin Therapeutics in July 2022 regarding their drug candidate belapectin [1] [2] [3] [4] [5].
1. Political endorsements are well-documented — but they’re different from product endorsements
Ben Carson’s public political endorsements are clear: he endorsed Donald Trump after exiting the 2016 presidential race, formally announcing that endorsement on March 11, 2016, and he publicly endorsed Trump again at an Iowa rally in October 2023 and expressed support into the 2024 cycle [1] [2]. Those political endorsements are distinct from endorsements of drugs or devices; available sources treat them separately and do not conflate his political pronouncements with medical-product endorsements [1] [2].
2. Mannatech appearances: speeches, videos and controversy
Multiple outlets report that Carson appeared in videos and made speeches for Mannatech, a company that sells nutritional supplements. Media Matters summarized that Carson spoke on Mannatech’s behalf in 2011 and 2013 and appeared in a promotional video around March 2014; the association drew scrutiny because Mannatech faced legal and regulatory criticism over overstated health claims [3]. Snopes notes that Mannatech used Carson’s images and interviews in promotional materials and that Carson told CNN he had not authorized certain uses of his image and denied formal endorsement claims in some contexts [6].
3. Deepfakes and scam ads: many claimed ‘endorsements’ are fabricated
Fact-checkers and research labs documented repeated use of Carson’s likeness in scam or deepfake ads promoting unproven “gummies” or miracle cures. AFP and Health Feedback reported that Facebook ads and look‑alike articles falsely attributed medical endorsements to Carson; Carson’s representatives denied he had endorsed those products and called such posts “fake and a scam” [7] [5]. Lead Stories and university media‑forensics work flagged manipulated video/audio as a source of false attribution [8] [5].
4. Corporate consulting role: Galectin Therapeutics and belapectin
In July 2022 Ben Carson joined Galectin Therapeutics as a “special consultant,” publicly commenting on the company’s drug candidate belapectin and galectin‑3 inhibition research. Coverage of that appointment quotes Carson praising the company and the drug candidate’s potential, representing an explicit, documented endorsement of a specific therapeutic program [4].
5. Disputes and denials — the record is mixed
Reporting shows a mixed record: on the one hand, Carson gave speeches and appeared in promotional materials for Mannatech (which has a “checkered past” in regulators’ and press accounts), and he accepted a paid advisory role with Galectin Therapeutics [3] [4]. On the other hand, numerous circulating product‑endorsement claims — especially in late‑2020s social ads about gummies or “natural cures” — were debunked and were explicitly denied by Carson’s representatives, with fact‑checks characterizing many as scams or deepfakes [7] [5] [8].
6. What the sources do not say
Available sources do not provide a comprehensive list of every paid speaker appearance or every instance where Carson’s image was used without authorization, nor do they provide a full accounting of any compensation he received for past appearances beyond general reporting on his Mannatech ties and the Galectin Therapeutics consultancy [3] [4]. Available sources do not state that Carson formally endorsed any FDA‑approved device by brand name.
7. How to read competing agendas in the record
Coverage comes from fact‑check organizations, advocacy outlets and trade press with different aims: fact‑checkers focus on debunking scams and false attributions (AFP, Health Feedback, Lead Stories — [7]; [5]; p2_s4), Media Matters critiques potential conflicts while highlighting policy inconsistencies at media employers [3], and industry press reported the Galectin consultancy as standard corporate hiring [4]. Each source frames Carson’s role differently — as unauthorized use victim, controversial paid speaker, or corporate consultant — so readers should weigh motives and methods of evidence in each piece [7] [3] [4].
Bottom line: Carson has verifiable ties to supplement‑company promotions in the past and a confirmed consulting role with Galectin Therapeutics in July 2022, but many recent online “endorsements” of specific cures and gummies are fabricated and have been debunked by fact‑checkers; available reporting does not show him formally endorsing any named FDA‑approved medical device [3] [4] [7] [5].