Rules Should Have Prevented Stem Cell Doctor's Work

The FDA made it clear when it told a Las Vegas doctor he was not following the rules when he began stem cell research on human test subjects.

Eyewitness News has discovered there are rules in place that could have stopped this from happening.

Dr. Alfred Sapse's website clearly states he is interested in testing his stem cell placenta implant on people living with Multiple Sclerosis. And, according to his website, four people with the disease report positive results after receiving the implant.

But the local Multiple Sclerosis Society warns people living with the disease of making hasty decisions when seeking a cure.

The FDA's November letter stating Dr. Sapse did not follow proper clinical procedures also mentions another doctor who got the placenta tissue for the experiment from a local hospital.

One Valley doctor with a Las Vegas Physician's Society says a doctor using human tissue from a hospital must have privileges at that hospital in order to do the research.

Dr. Warren Evins, an internist said, "The hospitals are not in the business of supplying patients' parts to private people. It's only for the use of approved legitimate research for patient benefit."

Elizabeth Keegan, with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in Las Vegas said MS affects people in very different ways, and that one person might get involved in a clinical trial maybe for reasons very different from another person with the disease.

Keegan said, "When you have this chronic disabling disease you're looking for the answer and people make their choices. And the NMSS standpoint is come to us, let us help you navigate through this system."

While the letter from the FDA is addressed to Dr. Alfred Sapse, it does not name any other doctors working with him, nor does the letter name the hospital where the doctors may be acquiring the stem cell tissue for the implants.