Dr. Zannos Grekos has administered so-called stem cell-based treatments to patients, at least two of whom have died following treatment in the last couple years. It is an understatement to say that Grekos is in serious hot water with various authorities at the state and federal levels. In the case of a 77-year old man …
There was another federal indictment just handed down that alleges that one Francisco Morales (aka Dr. Frank Morales) broke the law with stem cells. Allegedly he took umbilical cords (telling patients that they would be used for medical research), facilitated isolation of stem cells, and shipped them out of state to be used in dubious …
Indicted alleged stem cell predator Morales & Margolis: any links? Read More »
When I started blogging in 2010 the stem cell arena was a very different place including the fact I could count the number of US stem cell clinics on one hand. This blog, called The Niche for many years, was just “Knoepfler Stem Cell Blog” back then. Also, back then the hot topic was the …
Stem cell clinics, FDA, & giant, unapproved for-profit human experiments Read More »
How do dubious stem cell clinics get patients in the door to make money? In part they do this via the Internet via the clinics’ own websites. There are also patient websites, some secret, which may serve ad recruitment tools for specific clinics. A more general tactic may be the use of so-called “recruiter-patients”. There …
Recruiter-patients: how common & corrupt is this practice at US stem cell clinics? Read More »
A rumor is now going around that some dubious stem cell docs and clinics are likely to get visits from the FBI soon! The FDA, which has just recently issued a couple warning letters (here and here), potentially together with the FBI, may be poised to take more decisive action in the near future in the next …
Stem cell grapevine: FBI readying to take more action against dubious clinics & docs Read More »
Are stem cells a drug? Should the FDA regulate them? Technically, the FDA calls stem cells “biologics”, but the FDA regulates stem cell products with the goal of ensuring safety and efficacy much the same as traditionally define chemical “drugs”. You can learn more about the FDA’s view of and concerns about stem cells here and here. …
There has been a lot of excitement and media attention over the arrests by the FBI and the indictments of several people on charges related to alleged unlawful stem cell practices. Keep in mind that all these folks are innocent until proven guilty. Anyhow, you might wonder how the FBI got its info, etc? Was …
Over the past year the FDA and FBI have stepped up their actions related to sellers of dubious stem cell treatments. Most recently we have seen arrests of “Drs.” Morales and Stowe as well as others. Mr. Stowe, who is not a medical doctor, remains a fugitive of the FBI. Has the FBI now effectively …
My message to sellers of dubious stem cell treatments: time to quit Read More »
Who is the stem cell fugitive? When I was a kid I loved re-runs of that program The Fugitive. I always knew that Dr. Richard Kimble was innocent. Then in 1993 Harrison Ford starred in a movie based on the TV show, which was a fun one. Now we have a real life fugitive story …