#ftc stem cells

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Discover Magazine runs full-page 'stem cell' snake oil ad

Discover Magazine runs full-page ‘stem cell’ snake oil ad

Marketing of unproven stem cells has exploded in the past 3 years including some ads for things that sure seem like snake oil to me. Overall, it’s likely that hundreds of thousands of dollars if not more than a million are being spent on advertising of unproven stem cells.

While in the past I’ve generally tried to avoid using terms like “snake oil” about stem cell interventions and products,…

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FTC returns half a mill to consumers of "deceptively marketed amniotic stem cell therapy”

FTC returns half a mill to consumers of “deceptively marketed amniotic stem cell therapy”

There’s a lot of questionable “stem cell” injections these days involving purported amniotic stem cell or other perinatal (birth-related) material. Regulators are taking note including the FTC, which took some unprecedented action last year on this front.

Now the FTC has announced that more than half a million $USD have been returned to consumers who got dubious “amniotic stem cell” material.

Fro…

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Upside down, sometimes wacky fine print on stem cell clinic sites

Upside down, sometimes wacky fine print on stem cell clinic sites

Scrolling through a stem cell clinic website can be a surreal experience.

Going from the top of the page to the bottom can leave one feeling turned upside down. I wonder what the FTC thinks when they see these sites?

Usually at the top of the webpage for many unproven stem cell clinics are big claims, glossy pictures of healthy people, and a lot of buzz. However, often if you then scroll down to…

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Chiropractors and their state boards should stop risky stem cell injections

Chiropractors and their state boards should stop risky stem cell injections

There are gray areas within the larger stem cell sphere or as I called it in a recent paper “the stem cell ecosystem“, but chiropractors doing stem cell transplants is not one of them. This is unethical and risky on many levels, but the number of chiropractors selling stem cells is increasing rapidly nonetheless. Chiropractors who are selling stem cells should stop and their organizations should…

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To report a sketchy stem cell clinic, a list of simple, concrete things to do

To report a sketchy stem cell clinic, a list of simple, concrete things to do

The stem cell clinic industry selling unapproved “therapies” is ubiquitous and yet somehow still growing it seems. Many of us are encountering more of them including via ads and the clinics are basically all over the place.

What should someone do if they see a stem cell clinic that is particularly concerning?

A lot of people are asking me this question lately.

There are a variety of options…

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Stem cell clinic supplier Liveyon tries to regenerate itself after FDA recall

Stem cell clinic supplier Liveyon tries to regenerate itself after FDA recall

You probably remember Liveyon. It’s a marketer of an “umbilical cord stem cell” product that was recently recalled by the FDA. The recall was due to adverse events that may have included E. coli contamination somewhere before it was injected into patients, some of whom apparently got sick.

Since it seemed like this recalled product was a major part of Liveyon’s business model, some wondered:…

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101-year old lady cured? Groundbreaking FTC Action on Stem Cell Clinic Marketing

101-year old lady cured? Groundbreaking FTC Action on Stem Cell Clinic Marketing

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took some strong action against specific stem cell clinics today and the physician behind them. I see this as really good news and it’s something I’ve been pushing for years. The clinics in question in part marketed unproven stem cells for sick kids. Frankly, iffy for-profit stem cell “treatments” for kids is something that especially pisses me off as it’s even…

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