The Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, recently encouraged the Texas Medical Board to pass a rule covering adult stem-cell transplants (removing a patient’s own stem-cells and reinserting them at a later day). Ironically this was prompted after the Governor had this same procedure performed on himself in July to help recovery from back injury.
Although the FDA currently requires physicians to obtain approval before offering these experimental treatments, the proposed new rule would allow doctors to bypass the FDA and would be subjected to a Texas independent review board. They feel that adult stem cells are not subject to FDA approval. The FDA position is that they do not comment on specific state regulations or proposed regulations, but contend that they have reports that they have regulatory authority over “human cells, tissues and /or cellular and tissue-based products.”
I personally feel these types of treatments are governed by the FDA and if these treatments are used without FDA approval, Texas could be on shaky ground with regards to federal laws currently in place.
More information can be
found here:
Koppel, N. Texas Eyes Change In Stem-Cell Rules. Wall
Street Journal. April 13, 2012.
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