The Ministry of Health and Welfare said on the 27th it uncovered 246 cases of false or exaggerated advertising related to regenerative medicine. The ministry inspected illegal online ads on social media, blogs, and YouTube from July to November last year.
Sixty-three medical institutions were caught. Citing their designation as regenerative medicine institutions, they even promoted knee osteoarthritis injections unrelated to regenerative medicine. This constitutes false or exaggerated advertising under the Medical Service Act that misleads consumers. The ministry asked local public health centers to take administrative guidance measures.
Advanced regenerative medicine is treatment that uses stem cells and other methods to regenerate human body structures or functions. It is conducted at designated regenerative medicine institutions for clinical research or treatment. In such cases, approval from the review committee for advanced regenerative medicine and advanced biopharmaceuticals is required.
A ministry official said, "Advanced regenerative medicine is a means to meet patient medical demand by using technology," adding, "There is a need to preemptively block consumer harm caused by false or exaggerated advertising."