Update on "Cell Therapy" Clinics Offering Treatments of Ocular Conditions Using Direct-To-Consumer Marketing Websites in the U.S.
Kalavar M., Lovett EA., Nicholas MP., Ross-Hirsch A., Nirwan RS., Sridhar J.
Prospective Study, published in Am J Ophthalmol (2024) — summary generated from the PubMed abstract.
Early human evidence such as case series or small samples is exploring possible benefits.
- 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
- Prospective Study
- Journal
- Am J Ophthalmol (2024)
- Country
- United States
- Reported sample size
- —
- Source database
- PubMed
- PMID
- 38880376
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.ajo.2024.06.014
- Citations
- 3
Abstract (original English)
Purpose To assess the scope of U.S.-based companies advertising and administering non-Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved cell-based therapy (herein called NFACT) for ocular conditions based on information from companies' public websites after the FDA's legal actions against specific NFACT clinics in 2018 and 2019. Current findings are compared to previously published data from 2017. Design Trend study looking at U.S.-based companies that use direct-to-consumer marketing and have websites advertising therapy for ocular conditions. Methods A systematic and extensive keyword-based Internet search was utilized to identify, document, and analyze U.S. business websites offering NFACT for ocular conditions as of August 2022. Main outcomes measured include, clinic locations, marketed ocular conditions, types of NFACT offered, source of stem cells used, routes of administration, and treatment costs. Results From the prior analysis in 2017 to the 2019 analysis, there was a decrease in the number of NFACT clinics from 76 to 62 and companies from 40 to 39. Given the concerning persistence of NFACTs in August 2019 an additional analysis was performed in 2022 which showed a drastic decrease in NFACT clinics from 62 in 2019 to 18 in 2023 and from 39 companies to 13 in 2023. In both 2019 and 2022, the most commonly referenced ocular condition was age-related macular degeneration (2019-
What this study does not prove
- • This study does not prove SVF is an approved treatment or a replacement for standard care.
Evidence level
Early human evidence such as case series or small samples is exploring possible benefits.
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