By Alexis Rivas – NBC Channel 7 News, San Diego CA –
A federal appeals court handed the FDA power to shut down unproven stem cell treatments
The future of stem cell clinics across San Diego County, California, and the country are at risk. A federal appeals court in San Francisco just handed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the power to shut down untested, and sometimes unsafe, stem cell treatments. The ruling marks a major update to an investigation NBC 7 first reported six years ago.
The opinion overturns an earlier ruling in favor of two southern California stem cell clinics – Cell Surgical Network and California Stem Cell Treatment Center. Those clinics take patients’ fat cells through liposuction, convert them to stem cells, and then re-inject them back into patients.