If a picture is worth a thousand words, how about a Facebook video from a stem cell clinic?
In my view it sure tells a story with some unusual twists.
I wrote last week about this Facebook video by Kristin Comella, the leader of the publicly-traded stem cell clinic firm US Stem Cell, Inc. (USRM). As most of you know by now, USRM and another group called California Stem Cell Treatment Center/Cell Surgical Network are each the subject of DOJ lawsuits at the request of the FDA seeking permanent injunctions on their apparently non-compliant stem cell offerings. The video seemed to be suggesting that USRM might be infusing an unapproved, genetically or somehow otherwise modified stem cell product into cancer patients (43-minute mark).
There’s a whole lot more in this video that is striking and it overall provides valuable insights into the mindset of parts of the unproven, for-profit stem cell clinic world.
Here are some top “what the heck” moments for me.
- Cancer therapy researchers at risk from…some plot or what? At one point almost as an aside it is mentioned that people who find therapies for cancer “tend to go missing.” Wait, what? They do? Who? This statement brought to mind my post about the supposed stem cell deep state/secret society myth.
- Up your nose!? At another point (~19 minute mark) the speaker remarkably says, “You spray it up your nose!” to refer to a biological product (PRP)…and then later, “it’s such a little magic concoction.” I thought maybe she was joking on the nose thing or I misheard. But then if I heard right again at the 28-minute mark, once more comes, “Spray that up your nose!”
- Losing consciousness? Starting at one point around the 23-24-minute mark, certain patient side effects seem to be played down or viewed in unusual ways. For example, it’s suggested that one shouldn’t be too afraid if a patient loses consciousness after getting stem cells. If I had given someone an unproven, experimental stem cell infusion and they passed out for 5-10 minutes, I would be extremely concerned and perhaps call 911, but maybe that’s just me.
- Give me fever? I felt like there’s also a sense given in the video that patient fever isn’t a big deal after getting stem cells. In fact, perhaps the opposite as there’s some mention as a possible “great sign” if a patient calls the clinic after getting stem cells to say that they aren’t feeling well and/or have a low-grade fever. Fever and losing consciousness sound like apparent adverse events to me. Were these reported by USRM to the FDA and its IRB? Did the IRB do anything?
- FDA jail? The views expressed toward the FDA in the video are worth some thought. Also regarding the agency, at one point there is a mention jokingly I guess of “FDA jail”.
What struck you in this Facebook video? How did you interpret the bullet points above that I described? Did I mishear?