Perry Brings His Stem-Cell Cause to Houston
Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2012 1:06 am
It's no secret I'm no fan of the thundering, blundering, murderous FDA, so its really great to see a politician grow a spine for once.
Gov. Rick Perry pushed Friday for Texas to become the center of adult stem-cell therapy, disregarding the federal government's increasing crackdown on clinics marketing the experimental medicine.
Perry told a crowd of stem-cell researchers, industry leaders and patients gathered in Houston that the young science "holds the promise of miracles" desperately needed by people across the world and suggested Texas' "wildcat spirit" and "conducive climate" can make it happen here.
"I'm not shy about asking people to relocate or start up their companies in Texas," said Perry, likening stem-cell treatment to previous innovations in space and heart care. "All of you outside the state of Texas - come on in. The water's fine. We've got an amazing environment here."
Perry, who famously got the unlicensed treatment for an ailing back in 2011, said the state has made sure that innovators won't be "hindered by exorbitant taxes, wrapped up by bureaucratic red tape or at the mercy of predatory attorneys, seeking to make steady money off extensive, drawn-out court cases."
Perry's remarks, made at the first of a planned annual Houston conference, came as the state appears headed toward a collision with the Food and Drug Administration, which has begun stepping up action against businesses that treat patients with their own stem cells. Last month, it issued a warning letter to Celltex Therapeutics Corp., the largest facilitator of the therapy in the Houston area, saying the process it puts the cells through alters them and makes them a biologic drug. The letter said the therapy was thus under FDA jurisdiction.
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas ... 985899.php
Gov. Rick Perry pushed Friday for Texas to become the center of adult stem-cell therapy, disregarding the federal government's increasing crackdown on clinics marketing the experimental medicine.
Perry told a crowd of stem-cell researchers, industry leaders and patients gathered in Houston that the young science "holds the promise of miracles" desperately needed by people across the world and suggested Texas' "wildcat spirit" and "conducive climate" can make it happen here.
"I'm not shy about asking people to relocate or start up their companies in Texas," said Perry, likening stem-cell treatment to previous innovations in space and heart care. "All of you outside the state of Texas - come on in. The water's fine. We've got an amazing environment here."
Perry, who famously got the unlicensed treatment for an ailing back in 2011, said the state has made sure that innovators won't be "hindered by exorbitant taxes, wrapped up by bureaucratic red tape or at the mercy of predatory attorneys, seeking to make steady money off extensive, drawn-out court cases."
Perry's remarks, made at the first of a planned annual Houston conference, came as the state appears headed toward a collision with the Food and Drug Administration, which has begun stepping up action against businesses that treat patients with their own stem cells. Last month, it issued a warning letter to Celltex Therapeutics Corp., the largest facilitator of the therapy in the Houston area, saying the process it puts the cells through alters them and makes them a biologic drug. The letter said the therapy was thus under FDA jurisdiction.
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas ... 985899.php