An FT investigation reveals a booming US market for unproven stem cell therapies promising longer, healthier lives, despite federal illegality and FDA warnings. Dr. Heidi Regenass, then at Chara Health in Los Angeles, pitched intravenous and knee injections of umbilical cord stem cells for $18,450 to an undercover reporter, claiming minimal risks and benefits for conditions from autism to erectile dysfunction. She omitted that the treatment is unapproved, illegal, and that Chara Health's owner had received two FDA warning letters citing manufacturing violations like missing donor records and relabeled expired products.

While legitimate stem cell treatments exist for blood disorders and burns, experts say marketing them for aging or chronic disease remains hypothetical. Research by Leigh Turner at UC Irvine shows clinics surged from nearly 600 in 2016 to over 2,700 in 2021, with continued growth despite enforcement. Many evade regulators via new websites and euphemistic marketing.

The landscape may worsen under Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr., who credits a stem cell treatment in Antigua for helping him and vows to end the FDA's "war" on alternative medicine. High-profile endorsements from Joe Rogan and Kim Kardashian, who praised procedures in Mexico and Panama, further fuel demand.