Former rails - model Laura Brown and her husband Stephen van Rooyen are still campaign extradition from South Africa , for an allege cozenage to put up a stem cellular phone “ remedy ” for neurologic diseases . But one doctor who work with them was n’t so lucky .
British doctor Robert Trossel wasstruck from the medical registryyesterday , and thus banned from practicing medical specialty , for his function in an alleged dodge that has had Brown and van Rooyen ( envision above ) on the run from the U.S. authorities since they were indict in 2006 . Like other doctors who worked with Brown and van Rooyen , the panel said Trossel made eccentric , unsusbantiated claim about the effectiveness of injections of stem cells in the discussion of multiple sclerosis and other disease , and exaggerate his achiever in treating these patients .
But the panel said Trossel also provided a bizarre additional discussion , called Aqua Tilis therapy ( AQT ) , which involved “ antioxidant steam ” and “ magnetised fields generators . ” And in the face of at least four patients , the stem cells he injected them with included “ stuff containing bovid brain and spinal electric cord live cells . ”
Trossel is one of many doctor who were connect with Brown and van Rooyen , who engage a ship’s company in Atlanta shout out first BioMark International and later Advanced Cell Therapeutics . Here ’s a screenshot of one of their internet site , viaa 2007 pumped up article :
A2005 clause about their alleged schemes , from the Los Angeles Times [ via HealthBlog ] , is dead heartrending . It delineate how one sufferer from ALS , aka Lou Gehrig ’s Disease , spend yard of dollars and consume his last two geezerhood of lifespan chasing this phantom curative . BioMark try out to take advantage of a effectual loophole that allows Doctor to provide untested treatments to affected role with incurable , disastrous diseases , and made totally unfounded claim about their intervention . From the Times article :
The therapy , as advertised , was simple : an injection of 1.5 million stem cell in the abdomen . Everybody got the same type of cells , regardless of their disease . “ Once in the body , cellphone transmigrate to the website of the disease and get producing the needed cells , ” explained a BioMark information mailboat .
The company charged around $ 21,000 for the injection of cells , which cost about $ 1,000 . And they had a scientific advisory add-in ( most of whose members had no idea they were on the plug-in . ) Brown tell the Times in a 2004 interview , “ When something this hefty , this beautiful , is lay in your hands , in your way , you give everything you have to it . ” Even after they fly the U.S. , they kept furnish the treatments in Tijuana and Rotterdam ( which is where Dr. Trossel got involved . )
Asthe 2006 bill of indictment notes :
The defendants , LAURA BROWN and STEPHEN VAN ROOYEN , recruited customer with the representation that skill had prove the therapeutic power of fore electric cell and that BIOMARK was just making it available to the world . The BIOMARK website state that “ [ a]11 ALS research now cites the hope of Stem Cells as the only answer . ” … The defendants , LAURA BROWN and STEPHEN VAN ROOYEN , obtained the mobile phone from blood cant , which ship the cell from locations in Texas and elsewhere to BIOMARK in Florida . BIOMARK shipped the cell from Florida to their customers ’ homes or to the offices of medical practitioners in various localities who would do the shot for BIOMARK customers . BIOMARK ’s stem cell were distributed in vials , which the suspect , LAURA BROWN and STEPHEN VAN ROOYEN , cause to be label as containing 1 .5 million stem electric cell .
According to a 2007 article by ABC News , Brown and van Rooyen ( who were on the FBI most want leaning at one point ) are living in Johannesburg . South Africa does have an extradition treaty with the U.S. , but Brown and van Rooyen ’s attorneys claimed that because the treaty does n’t stomach the right signature from South African President Thabo Mbeki , it ’s invalid . They blame the Bush governing body ’s opposition to stanch cell enquiry for all of their problem . Said van Rooyen in an consultation :
“ We were set up in the most ugly , vindictive manner … The Bush administration supports the pharmaceutical industry , which desire smaller would - be contenders in the multibillion dollar stem cell arena to be put out of business enterprise . ”
Photos of Laura Brown and Stephen van Rooyen by Gallo Images / Getty Images .
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