Andrew Powell
The House has passed a measure that aims to make stem cell therapies more accessible. But it will return to the Senate due to changes.
Panama City Republican Sen. Jay Trumbull sponsored the bill (SB 1768). It was presented in the House by North Port Republican Rep. James Buchanan, who is sponsoring a similar measure (HB 1617).
The legislation passed unanimously, but Representatives tacked on an amendment that was introduced by Buchanan.
Buchanan explained the amendment would clarify certain definitions of “human cells, tissues, or cellular tissue-based products and stem cell therapy.”
Buchanan said the amendment also specifies prohibited practices and penalties for violations, and makes minor revisions to wording regarding certification and accreditation for labs.
Orlando Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani asked if the amendment added a broader definition, and if it would apply to other types of tissues or just stem cells.
In response, Buchanan said the definition, as it relates to the definition of human cells, tissues or cellular tissue-based products, is almost exactly the same as the definition used by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Buchanan said the measure will advance Florida health care by making biotherapy more readily available and increase patient safety by providing doctors and patients with a baseline of confidence through informed consent.
This includes standards of sourcing the stem cell product and requiring disclosures before the administration of available treatments.
The bill aims to ensure stem cell therapies are available, but without using stem cells that have not been obtained in an ethical manner, particularly from aborted fetuses. It instead urges the use of stem cell sources that are harvested from adults, umbilical cord blood and other ethically sourced products.
It would further authorize health care providers to perform stem cell therapy that has not been approved by the FDA under certain circumstances, such as treatments related to orthopedics, wound care or pain management.
