Timothy Caulfield has long been a vocal critic of questionable stem cell therapies, calling them “scienceploitation” and “stem cell tourism” for the lack of evidence supporting their exaggerated health claims.
In his latest study in Stem Cell Reports, the University of Alberta health law expert calls for greater regulation of stem cell product marketing, arguing those unproven claims are misleading and potentially harmful.
Caulfield took stock of stem cell products sold on Amazon.com and found that although there was no explicit mention of disease prevention — thereby adhering on the surface to advertising regulations in Canada and the United States — ads often used words like “strengthening,” “supporting” or “promoting” immunity. Some even claimed products contained stem cells, created more stem cells or improved stem cell functioning.
“The placement and storage of human stem cells in pills, liquids or capsules is scientifically implausible,” says Caulfield. “This marketing arguably generates consumer impressions of ample scientific evidentiary support, at odds with the current state of stem cell therapeutics.”
He recommends that health regulators require advertisers to produce scientific evidence whenever they use rhetoric claiming such support.
“A failure to regulate in any meaningful way hurts consumers by allowing the misleading marketing of deceptive products.”