EDITORIAL - Fountain of youth

It has been touted as the fountain of youth, and with veteran politicians and famous movie stars enthusing about it, stem cell therapy has become much sought after in this country.

The science, however, is still in its infancy. With demand overwhelming verified data, unscrupulous quarters are taking advantage of the gullible and offering stem cell treatment for a wide range of afflictions and cosmetic enhancement, with little to prove their claims. This has led to health problems or, at the very least, to failure to bring about a promised cure.

Because the science is new, stem cell therapy is still waiting for regulation. Health authorities should move quickly as the demand explodes for stem cell treatments. There is a growing list of products, some of them locally made, purporting to have stem cell components, with the public in the dark about the authenticity of the claims. There are foreigners claiming to be stem cell experts who are performing expensive stem cell procedures wherever they decide to set up shop.

Stem cells have been touted not only to restore youth but also to repair body organs that normally do not regenerate, and even to cure cancer. It won’t matter too much if the untested products or therapies merely act as placebos for those with money to throw away. But untested treatments can also worsen medical problems and may cause death. Regulators should step in as soon as possible to protect the public.