Kingston clinic slams 'heavy-handed' stem cell therapy ban

A clinic in Kingston, Ont., that had been injecting patients with high concentrations of stem cells until Health Canada ordered it to stop is criticizing the agency for its "heavy-handedness."

The Kingston OrthopaedicPain Institute (KOPI) isone of three dozen clinics across the country that have been ordered by Health Canada to cease offering certain stem cell therapies.

It's not easy for me, as a physician, to be called a charlatan and a snake oil salesman.- Dr. Gregory Murphy, KOPI

"This did not develop in a vacuum. There is strong evidence for improved pain control and improved function in orthobiologics," said Dr. Gregory Murphy, KOPI's medical director.

Orthobiologics refers to the use of substances found in the human body to control symptoms and help the healing of tendons, ligaments joints and muscles.

The clinics censured by Health Canada, however,offered patients stem cell-basedtreatments for a variety of healthissues including hair loss, heart problems, eye issues and multiple sclerosis.

• Crackdown on unproven stem cell therapies long overdue, Ottawa scientist says

"Generally, products using stem cells to cure or treat disease remain at the investigational stage of development," Health Canada said in an email. "This means that Health Canada has not yet seen enough evidence that they are safe and effective."

'A little bit shocked'

Murphy said KOPIhad been givingpatients the choice of being injected withbone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC), which contains a significantly higher concentration of stem cells than platelet-rich plasma therapies.

KOPI had also been corresponding with Health Canada before the crackdown, he said, keeping the agencyinformed about how the clinic wasusing the therapy in an attempt to help it "figure this out."

"They were in contact with us four or five months' prior to the cease-and-desist, and we laid out in a two-page letter exactly what we were doing, in exactly which patient populations," Murphy said.

"We were a little bit shocked that the heavy-handedness came down and said, 'You can no longer do it.'"

While the clinic has stopped offering BMAC treatments, it is still providingplatelet-rich plasma, whichHealth Canada did not prohibit.

Three Ottawa clinics were also ordered by Health Canada to stop offering their services.

Evidence 'robust'

Earlier this week Dr. Michael Rudnicki, director of regenerative medicine at The Ottawa Hospital, lauded the Health Canada crackdown, tellingCBC Radio'sAll In A Daythere was"absolutely no regenerative effect" to the therapies.

Murphy disputed that claim, noting BMAC therapy workedparticularly well for patientswith "large joint osteoarthritis," particularly in their knees, hips and shoulders.

He said there was "robust" evidence in his field that the therapy was offering patients pain relief, even if the exact mechanism still needed further study.

"It's sad for us, because we feel like we've been robbed of providing good care with qualified physicians in an inspected, established institution," Murphy said.

"It's not easy for me, as a physician, to be called a charlatan and a snake oil salesman."