By Megan Smith, Kate Goodheart, Claudia Fryer, Tomas Balcytis,Peter Wilmshurst and Patricia Murray
Commercial stem cell clinics in the UK are offering therapies of unproven efficacy that have the potential to cause harm. Marketing information used to advertise the therapies is often misleading and prices can be extortionate. Most so-called ‘stem cell’ therapies are currently exempt from regulations. This needs to be addressed urgently to stop patients from being subjected to financial, physical or psychological harm. To address these problems, we have made several recommenda – tions, which include better education for healthcare professionals, concerted action by regulators and new legislation.