FTC Mailing ‘Amniotic Stem Cell Therapy’ Refund Checks

Consumers who were duped into paying for “amniotic stem cell therapy” may receive one of 270 Regenerative Medical Group refund checks being mailed by the FTC.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), nearly $515,000 will be returned to victims of an alleged scam by Regenerative Medical Group.

Regenerative Medical Group, along with Telehealth Medical Group, and their owner, Dr. Bryn Jarald Henderson D.O., used deceptive marketing to sell so-called amniotic stem cell therapy, the FTC states.

The FTC complaint alleged that customers were told that the therapy could treat serious diseases, including Parkinson’s, autism, cerebral palsy, and heart disease, but the company lacked scientific evidence to support its advertising claims.

According to the FTC, Dr. Henderson, who was based out of California, used his companies to tout “stem cell therapy.” Dr. Henderson allegedly appeared in a white coat to advertise the benefits of amniotic stem cell therapy on his companies’ websites and social media sites.

“Defendant Henderson is aware that the vast majority of amniotic stem cell research has been conducted on animal models,” alleged the FTC complaint. “There are no human clinical studies in the scientific literature showing that amniotic stem cell therapy cures, treats, or mitigates diseases or health conditions in humans, and the medical community considers amniotic stem cell therapy to be an experimental and unproven treatment. He also has not conducted any studies demonstrating that amniotic stem cell therapy cures, treats, or mitigates diseases or health conditions in humans.”

Through Regenerative Medical Group and Telehealth Medical Group, Dr. Henderson and physicians working for him would charge patients between $9,500 and $15,000 for his so-called therapies, alleged the FTC, along with a follow up treatment costing between $5,000 and $8,000. Dr. Henderson sold the services between January 2014 and December 2017.

Patients were reportedly told that the innovative stem cell therapy provided by Regenerative Medical Group and Telehealth Medical Group could miraculously treat various diseases; however, these claims were not based on any scientific studies conducted on humans.

“Clinics must have solid evidence to back up their claims before advertising that stem cell therapy can treat serious medical issues, particularly those affecting children and older adults,” noted Andrew Smith, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection in an announcement issued after the defendants agreed to pay $3.31 million to settle the litigation.

As a part of the settlement agreement, Dr. Henderson and his companies are prohibited from misrepresenting that “any product or service: 1) cures, mitigates, or treats any disease or health condition, including Parkinson’s disease, autism, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, heart disease, macular degeneration, chronic kidney disease, osteoarthritis, and stroke; or 2) is comparable, or better than, conventional medical treatments in treating any health condition, unless such claims are true and can be supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence.”

Victims of the Regenerative Medical Group scam should have been notified. Those who receive refund checks need to cash it within 60 days of receipt.

If you have questions regarding the Regenerative Medical Group refund checks, contact Rust Consulting at 1-888-356-1499.

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