Regenerative Medicine
Published September 26, 2018 (News release from Future Science Group)
A survey of the Canadian direct-to-consumer marketplace reveals 30 Canadian businesses advertise unproven stem cell therapies at 43 clinics in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan. The most commonly marketed therapies are for orthopedic and musculoskeletal conditions, pain relief, and sports-related injuries, but one B.C. company markets treatments for ALS, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, scleroderma, muscular dystrophy, post myocardial infarction and erectile dysfunction. With lack of regulatory or disciplinary action by Health Canada or professional regulators, the researchers warn that the number of companies advertising questionable stem cell therapy will likely increase.
Canadian author: Leigh Turner, University of Minnesota – turne462@umn.edu