Inclusion of stem cell therapy in PhilHealth package eyed

MANILA, Philippines - Ordinary people may eventually have the chance to undergo expensive stem cell therapy.

Health Secretary Enrique Ona said the Department of Heath (DOH) is looking at the possibility of including stem cell therapy in the benefit packages of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) if the medical sector accepted it as a standard care.

“Our dream is that when this type of therapy already has a standard of care, its cost will definitely go down. By then, hopefully, (PhilHealth) can offer it already,” Ona said.               

He expressed belief that stem cell therapy has the potential to cure diseases such as cancer, autism, diabetes, stroke, liver disease, spinal cord injury, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

At this time, however, the treatment is still very expensive.

“We are talking about millions here. We are not yet talking here of professional fees. We are just talking of equipment, technology that are very expensive. That is why we cannot include it yet (in PhilHealth packages),” Ona said.

The Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine, Philippine Medical Association and Ona have all favored the continued charging of patients undergoing stem cell treatment even if it is still being considered only as “clinical trial.”

But the Philippine College of Physicians, 21 medical organizations, and recently resigned DOH consultant for non-communicable diseases Dr. Anthony Leachon have maintained that since stem cell treatment is still considered as a clinical trial, it should be offered free in the country as provided in their code of ethics.

The DOH is also considering implementing stricter regulations on the practice of stem cell therapy amid the growing popularity of the new medical treatment in the country.

To draft stricter regulation, the DOH and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have invited all stakeholders to a public hearing on Friday.

The DOH and FDA intend to discuss with concerned individuals and associations the regulation of stem cell therapy, stem cell products and health facilities that offer the medical service.

A few months ago, the DOH came out with guidelines on the practice of stem cell therapy but it seemed not enough to strictly regulate the use of the medical treatment. There were reports that foreign doctors perform stem cell therapy on Filipino clients in hotels and other non-medical health facilities.

The Philippine Dermatological Society (PDS), meanwhile, gave its full support for the conduct of “well-designed and ethical” clinical trials to prove the benefits of stem cell therapy.

“The society does not recommend the use of stem cell therapy as standard care for any dermatological conditions,” the PDS said in a position paper published in The STAR.     

The PDS said that while there are reports of stem cell therapy benefits for certain conditions, there is still no strong evidence until this time on the safety and benefits of the treatment on skin disorder.

The PDS explained that stem cell technology does not mean that plant cells can somehow interact with human cells to induce a slowing or reversal of aging and the current use of live stem cells for reversing aging is currently not established.

The PDS expressed its support for the DOH’s order mandating the practice of stem and cell-based therapies only in government-accredited health facilities. It also called on the FDA to conduct appropriate tests on all applicable health products prior to the issuance of authorization to ensure safety, efficacy and quality of products.

The FDA has ordered all distributors of human cells, tissue and cellular-based products to register and file their application before the end of the month.