Unproven Stem Cell Therapies Earn Traction and Criticism

This an interesting article about the some of efforts in take advantage of Stem Cell therapies happening in China, and some of actions being taken to slow these efforts down to a responsible rate.

China urged to abandon plan to sell unproven cell therapies

David Cyranoski, Nature

An international stem-cell body says the country’s proposed law could put patients at risk.

An international group of stem-cell researchers is urging China to cancel draft regulations that would permit some hospitals to sell therapies developed from patients’ own cells, without approval from the nation’s drug regulator.

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) sent a statement outlining its concerns to Jiao Hong, director of China’s National Medical Products Administration in Beijing, on 20 May. The society, which is based in Skokie, Illinois, represents more than 4,000 scientists, clinicians and ethicists around the world.

“We are deeply concerned that China’s newly proposed regulations will provide incentives for hospitals to market unsafe and ineffective interventions directly to consumers. This has the potential to harm the people of China, undermine public health and discredit the international standing of the Chinese regenerative medicine community,” warns the statement, which was signed by society president Doug Melton.

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Pharma-Investor's Perspective on Gene Therapy

The Future of Cell and Gene Therapy

“Each passing year, the success of cell and gene therapy (CGT) becomes clearer, more widely covered in the media, and is increasingly the focus of a rapidly growing society of researchers. Making sense of this extensive ecosystem is no small feat, but by using a data-driven approach, we can get closer to determining what the future holds for CGT.

CGT has emerged as one of the most exciting areas of biotechnology. Its buzz can be attributed to the hope these therapies hold for patients with rare and often deadly inherited diseases; the scientific promise and intrigue of gene editing; and the business opportunity that these revolutionary therapies with lucrative price tags hold.

But what do we really know about cell and gene therapy? What proverbial gold will be found at the end of this rainbow?“

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