Google relaxes ban on stem cell therapy ads

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Stem cell treatments that are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration will be allowed for ads on the internet, a change from the previous policy of banning all ads for this type of medical care. The policy update will go into effect in July.

The company said in the policy update that it will allow cell or gene therapy ads that are exclusively educational or informational in nature, even if they reference products or applications that are not approved by the FDA. It is not clear what type of advertisements would be allowed under that umbrella.

Stem cell therapy is a broad term for medical treatments that use stem cells. There are some evidence-based applications for the cells, like to treat some cancers, and there are around two dozen FDA-approved cell- and gene-therapy products.

Stem cells can be dangerous. Clinics claim the cells can be used to treat things like joint pain or eye conditions. People have died from infections after getting those procedures. The FDA has tried to crack down on businesses that offer these types of procedures, but they have continued to grow over the past few years.

In March, a professor at the UC Davis School of Medicine wrote in Stat that the initial ban on stem cell ads by Google hasn't stopped clinics from popping up in search. Even if they can't advertise, the companies have designed websites that appear at the top of search results for searches related to stem cells.

These companies have been able to push out their products even in the face of a ban. The ban is set to be relaxed, opening up new ways for groups to distribute information.