*Article* Stem Cells-An Interesting Take!

[Guest guest]

Hi. This is from one of the other MS Lists, I'm afraid I don't have

the link:

Stem cell firm uses Swansea ferry to evade Irish block on controversial

treatment

· Hundreds of UK patients book £12,000 injections

· Irish Medicines Board acts to stop treatment in Cork

A company offering controversial " stem cell " injections to hundreds of

people from the UK with multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases

is planning to get around a ban on treatment in Ireland by carrying it out

in international waters on an overnight ferry.

Advanced Cell Therapeutics (ACT), which has an address in Geneva and a

London telephone number, has been supplying stem cells from umbilical cord

blood to 12 clinics around the world, of which two are in the Netherlands

and one in Spain. Demand from the UK - where the treatment is illegal

- has

been huge, following tabloid newspaper stories about apparent remarkable

recoveries and an interview with a clinic doctor on television's

and

Judy programme.

Scientists, however, dismiss ACT's claims, saying that nobody has yet been

able to trick stem cells into repairing the spinal nerve damage that

causes

MS.

The Guardian recently revealed that ACT has taken over the business of

a US

company called Biomark International, which closed in 2003 during an

investigation by the drugs regulatory agency. Biomark's founders now

face a

51-count indictment for allegedly obtaining thousands of dollars by making

fraudulent claims about the effectiveness of their treatments.

The Irish Medicines Board has now acted to stop the treatments, costing up

to £12,000, that have recently begun at the Cork Road Medical Centre in

Carrigaline, which had 400 patients from the UK booked for the coming

weeks.

In a statement the board confirmed " that it is aware of the stem cell

therapy being conducted in the Cork region ... [it is] conducting an

investigation into this practice. "

But the Guardian has learned that ACT plans to continue treating patients

from the UK this week by booking them on to the Cork to Swansea ferry

which

will take them into international waters, outside Irish jurisdiction. " ACT

is offering a convenient alternative, which involves an examination and

preliminary consultation at the Cork clinic on the scheduled day of your

treatment, " it wrote to booked patients. " Administration of stem cell

therapy will take place in international waters aboard the ferry. The cost

of the return ferry and one night's accommodation will be covered by ACT. "

Investigation

It goes on to say that the ferry " is fully handicap accessible and has an

array of entertainment on board " . It also offers the alternative of

treatment in the Rotterdam clinic where most patients from the UK have to

date gone for their injections.

The doctor who runs the Cork clinic, Dunphy, is being investigated by

the Irish Medical Council - the doctors' disciplinary body which is the

equivalent of the General Medical Council in the UK. Speaking to the

Guardian, he said this was routine. " When there is any controversy like

this, you usually will be called before them, " he said. He denied that he

would be treating patients on the ferry, but added: " You will have to

speak

to ACT. I'm merely facilitating ACT. We are looking for any legal way to

treat them. " ACT declined to answer the Guardian's questions.

Dr Dunphy said he became involved because his sister has multiple

sclerosis

and wanted stem cell treatment, but was faced with a long waiting list for

the procedure at the Rotterdam clinic. Asked what scientific evidence

he had

that the treatment worked, he was unable to give specifics, but said:

" Obviously I wouldn't be using it if I thought there wasn't any. "

The Rotterdam clinic, run by Dr Trossel who is based in London and

carries out initial consultations in Harley Street, is also under

investigation by the Dutch authorities, the Guardian has learned. The

Dutch

healthcare inspectorate is concerned that the clinic has not submitted any

proposals for its experimental work on humans to ethics committees.

" We are doing this because we have had complaints from Dutch neurologists

about the way the doctors are treating the patients, " said Donk

of the

inspectorate. The investigation is expected to be concluded by the end of

the summer, she said. It would include inquiries into ACT, the supplier of

the stem cells.

The clinic has been allowed to stay open during the investigation because

there have been no reports of anybody suffering harm, she said.

In the UK, the Department of Health says that although the government is

putting £100m into stem cell research, the science is in its infancy. " We

would urge caution against seeking treatment or procedures that have not

been subjected to rigorous clinical trials and assessment of safety and

potential efficacy. Patients with multiple sclerosis are advised to

speak to

their consultant about their best treatment options, " it said in a

statement.

US indictment

The two founders of Biomark International, the US company which used to

supply clinics with stem cells and which shared members of its advisory

board and patient case histories with ACT, are now facing a 51-count

indictment from a federal grand jury in Atlanta.

van Rooyen, 44, and Brown, 35, are accused of distributing

untested stem cell treatment drugs " without any basis in science " . US

state

attorney Nahmias said in statement that Mr Van Rooyen and Ms Brown

" provided false and misleading information " about the effectiveness of

stem

cell treatment.

" This type of fraud victimises people in the most vulnerable situation, "

said Mr Nahmias. " The allegations in this indictment are serious and

will be

prosecuted vigorously. "

The US department of justice said it would take steps to bring the two to

trial. Mr Van Rooyen has returned to his native Cape Town, while Ms

Brown is

thought to be in England