ISSCR Shares Concerns Regarding New Google Ads Policy
On behalf of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), the leading professional organization of stem cell scientists, I write to share our perspective regarding the July 2022 update to the Google Ads “Speculative and experimental medical treatment, cell therapies, and gene therapies” policy.
The ISSCR appreciates Google’s prohibition on “advertising for products or services that promote speculative and/or experimental medical treatments,” including cell and gene therapies and other forms of regenerative medicine that have not been proven safe and effective or received appropriate regulatory approval. However, the ISSCR is concerned that unscrupulous clinics may misuse the update to Google’s policy by promoting unproven therapies under the guise of distributing material that is “exclusively educational or informational in nature.” If so, this would harm consumers and public health.