Overseas Stem Cell Therapies – Are they safe and how do you know?
The Australian Stem Cell Centre (ASCC) has today published its Patient Handbook. The marketing of overseas stem cell therapies via the internet has been around for some years, but there is increasing interest from Australians in accessing these therapies. Often clinics use the testimonials of patients as a marketing technique, hiding the fact that much of what they offer is not supported by clinical trials and is therefore untested.
There is a clear need to assist the public in understanding what is involved and to guide individuals on how to fully investigate treatment options before travelling or participating.
The Patient Handbook is designed to help individuals understand what stem cells are, which stem cell treatments are considered safe and effective by specialists, which are considered experimental and which are unproven and the safety of the treatment is unknown. The Handbook does not seek to advise patients, evaluate individual treatments, or comment on an individual’s reasons for travelling for treatment, but aims to provide the patient with the necessary information prior to considering any therapy.
Australia has a well regulated health system and patients can be confident that when stem cell treatments are offered here they will be both safe and effective. However, not every country is so well regulated. The promise that stem cell based treatments hold for debilitating diseases and crippling injuries, that are often otherwise untreatable, has led to treatments being offered in some countries without proof of safety and efficacy by properly overseen trials and regulation of the treatments. These processes are time consuming and expensive, but are essential for patient safety and well being.
It is in this environment that the ASCC has released its Patient Handbook with the aim of helping patients, their carers and family navigate their way through the myriad of treatments being offered.
Visit our Patients page and download the handbook.
Or, download the full media release below.
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Australian Stem Cell Centre Publishes Patient Handbook (194595)
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