A growing number of experts have called for regulatory action against clinics offering cell-based therapies in recent years.Health Canada has launched a crackdown on clinics offering unproven, potentially unsafe treatments that inject a patient with their own cells, ordering three dozen of them to stop offering the services immediately.
The crackdown comes after Health Canada published a position paper in May stating that most autologous cell therapies – those that use a patient’s own cells – have little evidence showing they work and can pose risks, such as cross-contamination between patients if equipment isn’t sterilized properly or potentially dangerous immune reactions.
A growing number of experts have called for regulatory action against clinics offering cell-based therapies in recent years. They say the clinics are peddling misinformation to sell expensive stem cell or PRP treatments that don’t live up to the marketing hype. Justin Boutilier, chief operations officer of LightTouch Med Spa, which has five locations in the Greater Toronto Area, said they were forced to stop offering PRP treatments after receiving a letter from Health Canada. He said the clinic primarily used the injections for treatment of hair loss and skin tightening. The PRP treatments can be used as a filler to help improve the skin’s appearance, he said.