When the FDA has a major problem with something, it can issue a warning letter or more rarely it can file suit in court for an injunction against the particular party. The FDA has now done both of these things on different fronts with Beverly Hills stem cell clinic doctor and cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Mark Berman. […]
The birth-related stem cell clinic industry is a serious problem for patients, the stem cell field, and the FDA as the clinics sell more and more of what I think of as “zombie” injections. Zombie stem cells One of the biggest changes in the last 2 years in the unproven stem cell clinic arena was
Sales of zombie stem cells continue to mushroom Read More »
What happens next to He Jiankui (贺建奎) or as some people now refer to him, the “CRISPR baby guy”? China has a challenging situation to resolve here, but such conflicts between scientists and governments have happened regularly in history. When scientists go “rogue” (i.e. don’t conform to norms or ethical standards in an extreme way or
We need more investigations of for-profit stem cell clinics selling what some view as ‘snake oil.’ Over the years I’ve mainly resisted using terms like “snake oil,” but that phrase is being used more often and more recently I think we need to be blunt about what is being sold. Part of effectively countering the
Several new investigations expose ‘snake oil’ stem cell clinics Read More »
Do the hundreds of unproven fat stem cell clinics in the U.S. like Stemgenex have a tenable future without working with the FDA? It seems less certain now in 2018 than it did in 2017, and that’s a good thing in my view. Stemgenex received an FDA warning letter yesterday that included a list of many
Sizing Up Sizzling FDA Warning Letter to Fat Stem Cell Clinic Stemgenex Read More »
I have a new Cell Stem Cell piece out today that aims to take stock of today’s stem cell regulatory oversight in the U.S., Japan, and elsewhere including Australia, Canada and India. I use a carrot and stick metaphor for encouraging legit research and taking regulatory action on serious non-compliant activities, respectively. Where is stem cell
My new Cell Stem Cell piece: too much carrot & not enough stick on stem cell oversight Read More »
The FDA via the DOJ has sued to get permanent injunctions against US Stem Cell, Inc. (USRM) and California Stem Cell Treatment Center/Cell Surgical Network (CSN). Both firms use an unapproved fat stem cell product in patients called stromal vascular fraction (the SVF production process is pictured at right) that the FDA indicates is generally
10 questions on FDA suits targeting stem cell clinics Read More »
If the FDA can “go big” to issue 40 warning letters to the e-cig industry as it just yesterday, why has it recently only issued 1 or fewer warning letters per year to the unproven, for-profit stem cell clinic industry in the U.S., which includes hundreds of businesses blatantly operating in what seems to be a
40 FDA warnings to e-cig biz, but stem cell clinics allowed to keep blowing smoke Read More »
Early in 2016, we started hearing about patient allegations of having been blinded in Florida by at least one stem cell business and several allegations seemed linked to a publicly-traded company called U.S. Stem Cell, Inc. (USRM). In turn, there have been a number of lawsuits involving USRM, including one filed just a few months
Sen. Grassley asks tough questions for FDA on U.S. Stem Cell, blinded women Read More »
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb and CBER Director, Peter Marks, have just published a new piece on stem cells and regenerative medicine in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). What are the core points here and what can we learn from reading between the lines a bit? There are some expected things and then some
Take-homes from new FDA NEJM stem cell piece including surprises Read More »