As
@Bazsa rightly pointed out I wouldn’t put any credence to anything that Dr.Centeno infers. If you had done some due diligence on this eminent (alleged) world renowned physician the alarm bells would have rung loud and clear. So here are the facts:
1. Regenexx was started in 2005 by Dr. Christopher Centeno, a pain medicine specialist in Broomfield, Colo., who had no background in stem cell research, but saw potential after reading about a study that hinted that stem cells could be used to treat spinal conditions in rabbits.
The company is trying to commercialize stem cells and move them into mainstream medicine, while also seeking to distance itself from outfits that have injured patients and drawn fire from regulators.
Regenexx points to a registry it keeps of its results and says it has published nearly two dozen research papers. It also cites a 2016 study concluding that its procedures led to no more serious side effects than other injection-based therapies, and fewer side effects than more invasive procedures.
Regenexx claims 40,000 patients have been treated with its techniques. Of the 90,000 procedures the company says it has performed to date, 70,000 involved only platelets. Many patients pay thousands of dollars out of their own pockets. Although nearly all insurance companies have refused to cover the treatments, citing the lack of evidence that they work, some employers are covering the injections.
The company says six million people are now covered, and Regenexx hopes to increase that number to 20 million over the next year, Dr. Centeno said in an interview.
The company contends that employers can save hundreds of thousands of dollars by helping workers avoid more invasive, time-consuming and expensive remedies like joint replacements or other orthopedic surgery.
Regenexx is training doctors around the country to perform its procedures, and building a nationwide network of treatment centers that carry its brand.
We have an extreme vetting,” said Jason Hellickson, the company’s chief executive.
In addition to the 53 clinics that have joined in the United States, there are seven more in other countries, some performing procedures that involve culturing patients’ cells in a lab, which cannot be done in the United States without F.D.A. approval.
The company’s website, loaded with impressive videos and testimonials from patients, is a major draw for aging gym rats searching the internet for relief from sore knees, shoulders, hips and backs.
Through the website, Dr. Centeno
regularly criticizes other stem cell businesses (I wonder why?) and has acted as an expert witness for injured patients suing his competitors. The company did run afoul of the F.D.A. in 2008 over its use of cells cultured and multiplied in a lab to increase the stem cell count. After a protracted legal battle, Regenexx quit using that technique in the United States, but began offering it at a clinic on Grand Cayman.
Very impressive company headquarters!
(20min delay)