By: Jet Villa, InterAksyon.com August 16, 2013 8:24 AM

InterAksyon.com The online news portal of TV5

MANILA, Philippines -- The National Institute of Health has joined the growing opposition to Health Secretary Enrique Onas stand that patients undergoing experimental stem cell therapy should pay for participating in what are essentially clinical trials.

The NIH, the research arm for health sciences of the University of the Philippines-Manila, issued a statement saying it fully support(s) the position statement of 21 medical organizations that clinical trials should be at no cost to the patients.

Officials of the NIH said making patients pay for participating in clinical trials is unethical since the procedures they undergo are not yet proven to be beneficial.

Speaking at the First Mid-Year Convention of the Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine on Monday, Ona said the country cannot completely adopt Western practices of offering these investigational therapies completely free for clinical trial participants.

Ona, the PSSCMs honorary chairman, cautioned that free clinical trials will not only be unaffordable for our institutions but very expensive and will forever relegate us to be a marketing testing ground after others have developed a technic in their country.

His position has triggered a backlash from leading medical practitioners.

In their statement, the NIH officials also urged the Department of Health and the Food and Drug Administration to issue clearer regulations for stem cell therapy for practicing clinicians to safeguard the health of Filipinos.

Stem cell therapy for unproven indications is proliferating in the Philippines and posing serious safety issues to unknowing clients (We are) alarmed by these uncontrolled practices which may include false claims, misinformation and exorbitant fees, they said, adding that the unproven use of stem cell therapy in these conditions should be restricted to clinical trials only.

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NIH joins opposition to charging patients for experimental stem cell therapy