Initiated Days attendees learned the latest developments in the hands of the neurologist D. Pedro Guardado, who moved in recent months have come new drugs for patients who have developed an outbreak of multiple sclerosis, but for the time being in test phase. It also impacted some of the drugs that slow the development of disease by preventing one of causes resulting in a disability.

By the time of treatment to combat the outbreak and consequences of multiple sclerosis as well as costly, has a form of application that requires each patient to see a hospital daily, as are treatments that are delivered subcutaneously or intramuscularly. The immediate future is that there are drugs that are being tested for security, but in the words of neurologist “What we need is a more effective drug with fewer side effects and has a simpler method of administration.”

Attendees also learned that good sleep hygiene and tai chi or yoga practice help alleviate some of the consequences of MS. You recommended doing a search on the internet to find sites that offer a solution to aging, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, autism or macular degeneration. No matter the condition, or that the vast majority of stem cell treatment have not yet had time to demonstrate its effectiveness.

Stem cells have become one of the promises of regenerative medicine and also a business opportunity for many schools that take advantage of the good image of stem cell research. Before these clinics were only in countries with very flexible health legislation, such as China, Singapore, Russia and the Seychelles. Now the “business” of stem cells has been transfer to the heart of Europe. Where the patients present with less suspicion.

The so-called “cell tourism“, booming and concern to health authorities. The European Medicines Agency has issued a warning note in which warns about the range of treatments based on unauthorized use of stem cells. A warning has been endorsed by the Spanish Ministry of Health through its agency of medicine: therapies, apart from being a proven effective, may pose safety problems for patients, “he warns.

The alert is not intended for patients who undergo these treatments in Spain, under the clinical trials in authorized hospitals. In the spotlight are clinics, outside our borders, which offer the promise of healing ailments for which science has yet to show the effectiveness of the cells.

Spanish Drug Agency recalled that treatments are “illegal.” no drug based on stem cells that has been approved for marketing in Spain or the European Union recalls its director. It can only be accessed under compassionate use or clinical trials authorized by special permit.

Outside this framework, the treatments are not safe. “In the best case, this is a fraud because the treatments in clinical research are free of cost. Nor do we know neither the number of cells that are introduced nor whether it is injected serum. In the worst cases, treatment may be dangerous, “he noted.

One of the clinics is now under the watchful eye of the European Medicines Agency in Germany. Regulatory agencies prefer not to point the finger at any center. But if there is one, specializes in cell therapy, which provides treatment for almost all kinds of problems that is XCell Center.

In this clinic stem cells from bone marrow of patients ‘cured’ from such complex diseases as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and macular degeneration as common as erectile dysfunction. For these treatments charged an average of 7,000 euros, although the bill can reach 26,000 euros in the case of Parkinson’s, stroke or cerebral palsy. The process is almost all about the same, an extraction of the patient’s bone marrow and a subsequent injection of their own cells. No home follow-up after recovery.

“They play with the desperation of the sick”, says Augusto Silva, director of the Advanced Therapies Ministry of Health. “Many patients can not expect that the investigation take its course and travel anywhere with the promise of a cure. But Europe can not afford on their territory treatment centers that offer no guarantees and payment of a higher amount.”

No cell therapy has been stripped of its experimental nature. “There are still many questions to be resolved. We need to know how many cells should be used in each condition and patient, where to proceed . Are more concerned that these therapies work, but not scientific guarantees, “insists Smith.

Regulatory agencies have closed similar centers in the United States and in Europe, the Netherlands and Ireland following the inspection of drug agencies. In Germany, schools are investigated by XCell misleading advertising that make their treatment.

There are no reliable data on the number of Spanish patients who have come to be outside our borders. Though just a glimpse through the forums of patients with ALS, MS or ataxia to know that there are anecdotal cases. “It is difficult to quantify an activity that is out of control, recognizes Cristina Avendaño.

Advanced Therapy Unit of the Ministry of Health is also working on a guide for patients and doctors explaining the proper use of cell therapy. The document will be distributed in hospitals and nursing associations.