DOH restricts hospitals amid stem- cell therapy craze

The Department of Health (DOH) has restricted hospitals and other facilities from using genetically-altered cells and tissues of human in carrying out stem-cell therapy and treatments in the country. Health secretary Enrique Ona added that their department also prohibits the use of umbilical cord, fat-derived human stem cells, and live animal stem cells for the conduct of the procedure locally. On Wednesday, DOH released Administrative Order (AO) 2013-0012 which seeks to ensure the safety of people who want to undergo human stem cell and cell-based therapies.

The AO also prohibits for human treatment and research the creation of human embryos and their derivatives, the use of aborted human fetal stem cells and their derivatives, and plant parts labeled as stem cells, the order stated. Ona hopes AO will make effective and ethical stem cell modalities and practices that will be at par with emerging international and global standards on the very complex nature of this therapy. He explained the AO also hopes to prevent the introduction, transmission, and spread of communicable diseases by ensuring a minimum quality of service and staff qualification rendered by hospitals and other health facilities capable of utilizing human stem cell preparations and cell-based therapies. These guidelines will classify which stem cell preparations and therapies will be registered and allowed with certain restrictions, Ona said in a statement. Preparations that will be allowed include those with adult human stem cells, human umbilical cord stem cells, and human organ-specific cells, he noted. He explained that health facilities utilizing stem cell preparations and cell-based or cellular therapies will be mandated to comply with the guidelines set by DOHs Bioethics Advisory Board. The Borad, Ona notes, will ensure that ethical and professional standards are upheld and that contentious scientific, ethical and legal issues are addressed. He said charges and complaints shall be addressed to the DOH Bureau of Health Facilities & Services and the Philippine Food and Drug Agency. Stem cell therapy and treatments are medical procedures where doctors replace malignant cells with healthier cells in an effort to cure or address ailments like cancer. Some facilities also use the procedure for cosmetic purposes, targeting components of the skin like collagen to make patients look younger and healthy.

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DOH restricts hospitals amid stem- cell therapy craze