Faulty stem cell therapies costing hopeful patients thousands

The practice of stem cell research is controversial and varied. Treatments range from FDA approved to dangerously unscientific, and unproven therapies often rely on consumers' hopes for treatment.

For some, though, the results can be disappointing and detrimental.

Maureen Rosen, who suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, doesn't take simple activities like a walk through the park for granted.

"You can hardly breathe," said Rosen. "You're just going from the bed to the bathroom, and you're gasping for air."

When Rosen saw ads saying stem cell therapy could help ease her symptoms, she jumped at the chance and paid over $7,000 for the procedure.

"They would draw my blood out of my arm and take it to some machine, separate the stem cells from the blood, and clean them up and put them back," Rosen said.

Ads by the Lung Institute of Tampa, Florida tout the success of stem cell therapy for patients with lung disease, including COPD. After treatment, Maureen says her breathing never improved.

"That $7,000 we spent was like throwing it in the trash," she said.

Stem cell therapy has been shown to help treat a handful of blood disorders, including leukemia and some forms of anemia. It is even used to help burn victims.

It has not, however, been proven to treat COPD, something Maureen says the Institute failed to explain.

Experts say a "cottage industry," or a business or manufacturing activity carried on in a person's home, has emerged, promoting unproven stem cell treatments like Rosen's. Now, stem cell therapy claims to treat everything from sexual dysfunction to diabetes. Most often, it's not covered by insurance.

"It's so easy for consumers looking for a cure to be seduced by unproven claims, but they need to know there's no magic bullet," said Ellen Kunes, a Consumer Reports Health Editor. The FDA is taking steps to strengthen its oversight, but many experts say that's not enough for people like Maureen.

When contacted by Consumer Reports, the Lung Institute said they had treated thousands of patients and that many of them had seen an improvement in their quality of life. Meanwhile, Maureen has signed onto a lawsuit alleging that the Lung Institute intentionally defrauded her and dozens of other patients.

"Once you put out that kind of money and you've got your hopes up, the letdown is terrible," Rosen said.