In Brief
A public interest petition challenged the widespread commercial offer of unproven stem cell therapy for autism across Indian clinics. The Supreme Court held that such therapy lacks scientific evidence and regulatory approval, and therefore cannot be legally administered as routine clinical treatment. Offering it commercially violates medical ethics and amounts to malpractice. The Court ruled stem cell therapy for autism must be confined to approved clinical trials. The judgment emphasizes that patient consent alone cannot justify unproven treatments lacking adequate scientific basis. The Court directed the government to clarify regulatory frameworks and establish pathways for existing patients to transition to approved clinical trials without abrupt discontinuation.
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