DOH warns against use of stem cells from aborted babies

By Philip C. Tubeza Philippine Daily Inquirer

The Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday warned those contemplating stem cell therapy against using stem cells from aborted babies and human embryos.

The DOH issued the statement as it reviewed the legal and technical specifications of stem cell therapy to come up with a regulatory framework.

The Philippine government will not allow the use of aborted fetuses or human embryos (as sources of stem cells). There is a need to ensure that the biological raw materials are documented and validated and follow infection-free procedures, the health department said.

There is also a need to know if the materials to be injected came from animal or human tissues, it added.

The DOH said the other fundamental areas of the regulatory framework would include the monitoring of the marketing claims by medical centers that offer stem cell therapy so that the claims stick within the boundaries of science as objectively as possible.

Credentials and procedures

The credentials of the scientists involved should also match the training, education and skills required for these procedures while good laboratory procedures should be observed in the preparation of the tissue and cells, the DOH said.

The centers to be regulated or accredited will have to show both positive and negative outcomes for a better handle of the predictors of success or failure from this intervention, it said.

The health department said there was a need for a regulatory framework because there were many steps in the preparation of stem cell therapies and the government had been receiving many queries about it.

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DOH warns against use of stem cells from aborted babies