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| THE ATTACHED TRANSCRIPT WAS TYPED FROM A RECORDING AND NOT COPIED FROM AN ORIGINAL SCRIPT. BECAUSE OF THE RISK OF MISHEARING AND THE DIFFICULTY IN SOME CASES OF IDENTIFYING INDIVIDUAL SPEAKERS, THE BBC CANNOT VOUCH FOR ITS COMPLETE ACCURACY. TX: 18.01.07 - Stem Cell Update PRESENTER: WINIFRED ROBINSON ROBINSON Scores of British people who've been travelling to Holland for controversial and costly commercial stem cell treatment will now have to look even further afield because the Dutch government has announced that from February 1st it's banning all commercial companies from carrying out any stem cell treatments in Holland. Stem cells are described as the body's building bricks, with the ability to turn into any type of cell and the potential to alleviate or even cure diseases, including diabetes and Parkinson's. Our disability affairs reporter, Carolyn Atkinson, has the latest. ATKINSON The Dutch government is bringing in this blanket ban because it says stem cell therapy has not yet been proved effective and there are too many health risks. It comes just three months after its ministry of health stopped a leading clinic in Rotterdam from carrying out stem cell treatments on patients. At least 300 people, including dozens from the UK, had been paying over £8,000 each for the controversial procedure. In October Fryson Vandebeek, from the Dutch healthcare inspectorate, told You and Yours they'd banned it because the clinic could not prove where its stem cells were coming from, nor guarantee their quality, leaving patients at risk from a range of potentially fatally conditions. VANDEBEEK It exposes patients to the risk of infection with HIV or Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease. But also to allergic reactions, malignant tumours or rejection reactions. So that's quite serious. ATKINSON Now the Dutch government has gone one stage further because it's worried that the companies have been using the Netherlands to offer stem cell therapy as if it were a proven form of treatment. From February 1st only hospitals and universities will be able to use stem cells and even then they'll still have to apply for a licence and a special permit. But not everyone is happy with the decision. It's almost a decade since stem cell research really kicked off, some people with currently incurable conditions feel progress has been too slow. Kevin Cooper from Newcastle has MS, he'd given up work, was already using a stick to walk and felt he was heading for life in a wheelchair, so he paid his money, took a chance and flew to Holland for the stem cell infusion. He says it was worth every penny. COOPER Unbelievable to what I was, I feel fantastic, just like in the house, round the town, little bit of shopping or go to the petrol station, anything like that. Before I needed that stick, I couldn't two steps without it, I've never used it since, apart from long distances. I've done things since I've come home that was impossible before - decorating, painting windows, just standing there painting. I went to a football match and I used to be a season ticket holder at Sunderland in the Premier League, I stopped going two year ago because I couldn't manage to get from the car to the ground or up to the seat. I used my stick because it's a long way to walk but I went to the match. Gardening - just general day-to-day things are so much easier. ATKINSON And you talked about work before, are you considering that you're in any position to start working again? COOPER I mean what I did before - I worked all over the world, you know, I was travelling all over the world, I mean that's not possible now, I don't think I'm well enough for that because with this treatment I mean I'm not 100% and I never will be, and I accept that, but I'm a damn sight better than what I was. ATKINSON But the story is not quite as clear cut for others. When accountant Malcolm Pear from Worcester, who also has MS, had the treatment it was seemingly miraculous at first. His wife Lesley could not believe the change. LESLEY He went from a scooter or a wheelchair for anything outside of the house to being able to walk round the park with the dog with no - not even elbow crutches, he was just striding out and it was amazing. MALCOLM It was incredible that I was moving around very well. I was very, very positive about everything. ATKINSON Lesley was keen to spread the word, they appeared in the press, took more than 800 calls from people around the world and the clinic in Rotterdam was inundated with people wanting the stem cell treatment, there was even talk of a year long waiting list. But that was a year ago, now the Pears are doing everything they can to dissuade people from having the treatment. Malcolm Pears says two and a half months after his injection the miracle stopped. MALCOLM I'm sort of lower down now than I was prior to stem cell, so I find it a bit depressing. LESLEY It's very cruel to give people so much hope and to have their hopes dashed. Don't do it - very simply - keep your money in your wallet or in the bank, it costs an horrendous amount of money, money that a lot of people can very, very ill afford and I do appreciate that everybody clings to hope but I mean we've done quite a lot of research and there's very few people that we know of that have had this treatment that have had any significant long term benefits. So I would say don't do it. ATKINSON The ban by the Dutch government now means there are fewer places offering commercial treatments. One alternative destination for patients was Ireland but all procedures there have been put on hold while the Irish Medicines Board decides whether to follow Holland's lead and outlaw it there too, a decision is expected in April. Commercial practitioners keen to continue their work are now being forced to look further afield, destinations include the Seychelles, Mexico, India and the Caribbean. The clinic in Rotterdam has stopped its stem cell treatments, callers are being told they can go to Belgium instead. The head of the clinic Dr Robert Tressell is still under investigation by the Dutch Health Inspectorate, which is deciding if he and his team will face disciplinary action. He though continues to stand by his stem cell treatments. Back to the You and Yours homepage The BBC is not responsible for external websites |
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