ISSCR Applauds Google’s New Policy Banning Ads on Unproven Therapies

6 September 2019 -- The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) today released the following statement regarding Google’s new policy that bans advertisements from unproven stem cell clinics and other speculative medical interventions.

“Google’s new policy banning advertising for speculative medicines is a much-needed and welcome step to curb the marketing of unscrupulous medical products such as unproven stem cell therapies,” said ISSCR President Deepak Srivastava. “While stem cells have great potential to help us understand and treat a wide range of diseases, most stem cell interventions remain experimental and should only be offered to patients through well-regulated clinical trials. The premature marketing and commercialization of unproven stem cell products threatens public health, their confidence in biomedical research, and undermines the development of legitimate new therapies.”

The ISSCR has been a vocal and active opponent of the premature marketing and commercialization of stem cell therapies that have not been tested in rigorous clinical trials. The Society has released guidelines to help researchers and regulators navigate the translation of cellular therapies. The ISSCR also developed a Patient Handbook and launched ACloserLookAtStemCells.org to help patients make informed decisions about stem cell treatments.

About the International Society for Stem Cell Research (http://www.isscr.org/)

The International Society for Stem Cell Research is an independent nonprofit organization and the voice of the stem cell research community. The ISSCR was founded in 2002 to foster the exchange of information on stem cell research and now claims more than 4,000 members worldwide.