Stem cell 'therapy' advertisements in China: Infodemic, regulations and recommendations
Lv J., Su Y., Song L., Gong X., Peng Y.
Narrative Review, published in Cell Prolif (2020) — summary generated from the PubMed abstract.
Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.
- Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
- Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
- Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
- Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
- Emerging · Emerging topic under active research
This page is generated from the PubMed record. The Thai description is an automated summary of bibliographic fields and the abstract, not a full translation, and is not medical advice.
- Study type
- Narrative Review
- Journal
- Cell Prolif (2020)
- Reported sample size
- —
- Source database
- Europe PMC
- PMID
- 33146925
- PMCID
- PMC7705907
- DOI
- 10.1111/cpr.12937
- Citations
- 11
Abstract (original English)
During the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to the pandemic itself, a phenomenon called an 'infodemic'-defined by the World Health Organization as the spread of misleading information on the pandemic-has also gained attention. In the field of stem cell research, researchers and regulators have been fighting against false and misleading information, particularly advertisements for unproven and unauthorized stem cell-based interventions for decades. However, how existing legal and regulatory measures, which vary by country, can be employed to combat such false information is unclear. In this article, we examine the situation in China, where the spread of unauthorized stem cell 'therapies' has drawn patients from not only within China but also from abroad. First, we assess how and to what extent online advertisements promote unproven and unauthorized stem cell-based interventions directly to patients and prospective health consumers in China. Next, we survey the landscape for existing regulatory and administrative measures that may be used to combat false and misleading advertisements in this area. Finally, based on our analysis, we provide three main recommendations that may improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the regulatory measures in curtailing illegitimate advertising of unproven and unauthorized stem cell-based interventions in China. In conclusion, we also call for in
What this study does not prove
- • This study does not prove SVF is an approved treatment or a replacement for standard care.
- • This is a narrative review: it collects no new patient data and does not systematically appraise evidence quality.
Evidence level
Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.
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