The FDA’s initial targets were a pair of California Stem Cell Treatment Centers in Beverly Hills and Rancho Mirage; StemImmune Inc. of San Diego; and the US Stem Cell Clinic of Sunrise, Fla. But Dr. Mark Berman, co-founder of the California Stem Cell Treatment Centers, was defiant in a prepared statement. Berman, who is also director of stem cell implantation at StemImmune, called the clinics’ offerings “cutting edge cancer therapy” for stage-4 cancer patients. Also on Monday, the FDA issued a warning letter to US Stem Cell Clinic’s chief scientific officer, Kristin Comella, for marketing stem-cell products without the agency’s approval. If the FDA puts clinics offering stem-cell therapies in its regulatory crosshairs, the agency will have its hands full, said University of Minnesota bioethicist Leigh Turner.

Source: Los Angeles Times August 29, 2017 01:41 UTC