Medical experts urge clinical trials on stem cell therapy to check its "unproven indications"

by Azer N. Parrocha

MANILA Following his recent resignation as (DOH) Consultant for Non-Communicable Diseases, Dr. Anthony Leachon said that he and medical societies would step up and notify the public about stem cell therapys unproven indications.

Leachon, resigned as consultant of the Department of Health last Friday because he did not agree with Health Secretary Enrique Onas stand on allowing the practice of the therapy in the country despite its lack of regulation and interest to pursue clinical trials.

Aside from being DOH consultant, Leachon is also vice-president of the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP).

[It is] sad to say, but our regulatory agencies have not served the people's welfare but has become SCT (stem cell therapy) pushers, Leachon said, via Twitter.

The Philippines has not published or done any decent clinical trials yet; SCT is being pushed without regard to safety, he added, earlier explaining the importance of trials to confirm a treatments safety.

I don't want to be respectful to DOH [Secretary] as a consultant opposing him, Leachon said. [I] don't want to lend credibility to DOH.

He explained that since he was not in agreement with the DOH, it was best that he let his brother, Mindoro Rep. Paulino Salvador instead push for an investigation into misleading stem cell procedures done in the Philippines.

Furthermore, he stressed that if the DOH would still stay firm in ignoring the clamor of medical societies to reinforce regulation and a moratorium on stem cell therapy, the Food and Drug Administration better detach itself from the DOH as well.

[A] bill should be passed in congress to make FDA independent of DOH like in USA and UK, Leachon said. In fact, there should be three platforms: DOH on the delivery of services, the Commission on Health on prevention and the DA on drugs.

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Medical experts urge clinical trials on stem cell therapy to check its "unproven indications"