Google will allow advertising for stem cell therapy approved by the U.S. Food and drug administration, changing the previous platform's policy to ban all advertising in this experimental medical category In a policy update, the company said it would also allow cell or gene therapy advertisements that are "entirely educational or informative", even if they refer to products or applications that are not approved by the U.S. Food and drug administration.
It is unclear how Google will define "educational" or "informative" and what types of advertising will be allowed within this scope.
Stem cell therapy is a broad term that refers to medical treatment using stem cells, which can develop into any cell type. Cells have some evidence-based applications, such as treating some cancers, and there are about 20 U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved cell and gene therapy products (Google's new policy will allow advertising).
But most uses of stem cells are unproven, experimental, and can be dangerous. The clinic claims that cells extracted from donated umbilical cord or patients' fat can treat joint pain or eye diseases. There have been cases of infection and death after these types of surgery. The FDA has tried to crack down on companies that provide these types of programs, but their number has continued to surge over the past few years.
Paul knoepfler, a professor at UC Davis School of medicine, wrote in stat in March that Google initially banned stem cell advertising, but did little to prevent clinics from appearing in search. Even if they can't advertise, these companies have designed websites that appear at the top of stem cell related search results, even higher than more reputable medical resources such as the National Institutes of health.
These companies are smart enough to bypass the policy and launch their products even in the face of a comprehensive ban. Now, the ban will be relaxed, which opens up a new way for groups to spread information. Knoepfler wrote: "Google's ongoing stem cell problem symbolizes a serious and broader problem that the company needs to address the dissemination of information about the design of unproven biomedical products."