China’s instant ban on unapproved stem cell treatment will affect some US patients, and a handful of specialist medical tourism agencies who have been accessing China for treatment that is not available in the US or most European countries.  

In recent years, China has attracted foreign citizens to experimental hospitals and doctors willing to treat seriously ill patients with unproven stem-cell therapies.

The Ministry of Health announced that the country has stopped all unproven and experimental stem-cell treatment programmes and refuses to accept any new applications for approval of stem-cell treatments. The ban will initially last until the end of June 2012, but the chances of the ban being lifted quickly after then seem very slim.

China's experimental stem-cell treatments have been used on patients with severe neurological diseases, other chronic illnesses and injuries. While some patients have said that these unproven stem cell therapy programs in China have done them good, critics argue that the benefit is purely in the mind.

The government seeks to bring under control its growing but loosely regulated industry. It realizes that an official ban will not work unless it can be enforced. A ban on organ transplants is still blatantly ignored by some hospitals. The ministry is implementing a year long campaign to halt unauthorized stem cell therapy trials.

Regulations on stem cell treatments were relatively relaxed in China compared to other nations and the country is often seen as a last hope for people suffering from serious medical problems ranging from cancer to spinal cord injuries. But there are many horror stories where unapproved untested stem cell treatment has led to death, disease and infection.

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