Go to First Article regarding this subject.

Update May 2007 :
This latest press release (see PRWEB link for original) regards the announcement that TheraVitae has been awarded the Office of the Board of Investment approval.

Thailand Biotech Company Gets Board of Investment's (BOI) Seal of Approval for Adult Stem Cells

TheraVitae, the leading Israeli-Thai biotechnology company and developer of VesCell therapy, using adult stem cells for the failing heart and PAD, has been awarded the Office of the Board of Investment approval.

Bangkok, Thailand ( PRWEB ) May 27, 2007 -- Thailand's Board of Investment has announced its approval for TheraVitae, an Israeli-Thai company, thus paving the way for the company to expand its research and development and provide therapies using adult stem cells.

President of TheraVitae Thailand, Mr Narin Apichairuk, said, "We are delighted to gain BOI approval because it means we can continue with our plans to open a laboratory near Bangkok and proceed with expansion of our services. To date over two hundred no-option heart patients have been treated with our patented product, VesCell, here in the kingdom. This approval means that we are seen by the Thailand government as being transparent and accountable in our operations and thus opens the way for tremendous growth and expansion."

The company can now proceed with planning the world's largest stem cell laboratory. When completed the facility will be able to produce 1000 batches of stem cells per month. At present blood withdrawn from patients has been flown to Israel for the processing of the stem cells into therapeutic numbers.

"The approval also facilitates in easing the requirements to bring in overseas scientists, technicians and state-of-the-art equipment. In the near future we will be able to have a knowledge transfer to local technicians. We will be able to rapidly develop further technology that will have a profound impact on the lives of many who are suffering from severe heart diseases" said Apichairuk.

Stem cell therapy using patients' own blood has been proven beneficial in clinical trials. Around 75 percent of patients are experiencing symptom reduction and are able to take up exercise and activities that were previously denied them because of the nature of their illness. Many have been told that short of a heart transplant there is nothing more that can be done for them. Their recovery stories after adult stem cell therapy are inspiring many others to seek the help that is available to them right now.

"It is a real privilege to be a leader of an industry that is contributing significantly to the growth of medical tourism in Thailand, which is becoming an important source of revenue for the kingdom. Furthermore, it is deeply satisfying to be at the forefront of research and development into therapies that are truly cutting-edge. The future is very exciting as more and more diseases are being added to the list of conditions that stem cells are able to help. Regenerative medicine is the future of medicine and we are proud to play a part in its progress," said Apichairuk.

A further benefit seen to derive from BOI approval is that the company will be able to attract more investment capital now that its operations have the government's seal of approval. "Approval gives our company credibility in the marketplace," said Apichairuk. "This means investor confidence, which will fuel expansion and therefore a price reduction. Thus, more patients will be able to be treated at a lower cost. It is our wish also to take adult stem cell therapy into regional hospitals so as to serve all the people of our nation, not just foreign patients. We want to give something positive back to our community," he said.

Theravitae's current list of partner hospitals will certainly expand as the result of BOI approval. At present Thailand partner hospitals include Bangkok Heart Hospital, Chaophya Hospital, the Phaya Thai Hospital group and Praram 9 Hospital. These prestigious hospitals bring eminent medical specialists such as Dr. Kit Arom, Professor Supachai and Dr. Eugene Sim as keen advocates of adult stem cell therapy. The company also has a relationship with Singapore's Parkway Hospital group who are using VesCell throughout their group.

For a relatively young company at the very cutting edge of regenerative medicine , Theravitae's progress is admirable. Just last year they received the World Economic Forum "Pioneer Award" for their groundbreaking stem cell technology. This award puts them on a par with Google, another recipient of this prestigious award.

BOI approval will spur further growth, development and innovation in bringing the latest technology to aid those suffering from a variety of devastating diseases.

Original and complete press release

Press Release dd. 15 November 2006

Latest update regarding adult stem cell therapy.
A press release appeared regarding adult cell therapy in heart disease. Results were presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions.
We can confirm that is one of the major annual scientific meetings regarding heart disease.
The study involved patients at the Cardiac Center of Siriraj Medical Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. While a state hospital, Siriraj Medical Hospital is one of the leading hospitals in Thailand. As far as we know it is not actively involved at all in the medical tourism industry (for which Thailand has become a major destination).

Chicago, IL , 15 November, 2006 :

TheraVitae, an international biotechnology company and the producer of VesCell TM adult stem cell therapy for heart disease, presented the final results from its first clinical study at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions this week in Chicago. The results of the study show that the therapy has a high safety profile and is effective in alleviating severe angina pectoris in patients without any other therapeutic option. The study, evaluating the safety and efficacy of intracoronary administration of VesCell TM to patients suffering from severe angina pectoris, was conducted in conjunction with Her Majesty's Cardiac Center at Siriraj Medical Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand.
By using sophisticated tissue culture technology facilitating the isolation, expansion and differentiation of angiogenic cell precursors (ACPs) to an amount sufficient to induce blood vessel formation in the heart, the scientists at TheraVitae have developed VesCell TM , which is used now by doctors in Thailand and Singapore for patients suffering from severe heart disease. Cells are isolated from the blood, processed outside the body and then administered to the patient into regions of the heart suffering from reduced blood supply.
Prof. Damras Tresukosol MD Director of Cardiology at the Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University in Bangkok and the Principal Investigator of the trial, presented the results which showed significant improvement in most patients at six month follow-up:

• Over 90% of patients reported subjective improvement of their physical condition and ability to perform physical exercise
  
• Over 70% showed improvement in treadmill exercise capacity
  
• Over 75% of patients showed objective improvement in the perfusion defect of the ischemic region
  

The results are a major step toward proving the safety and efficacy of VesCell TM therapy, and demonstrate the reliability of TheraVitae's cell manufacturing process. Moreover, they illustrate the considerable benefits and low risk that VesCell TM therapy provides to patients.
Professor Tresukosol said: "These results are extremely encouraging and reaffirm our belief that VesCell TM can make a substantial and positive difference in the lives of patients suffering from severe angina pectoris."
Valentin Fulga , MD , CEO of TheraVitae, added: "Working on this landmark study with our Thai colleagues has been both exciting and fruitful. By presenting these encouraging results together at the American Heart Association meeting, we hope to have added our small contribution to the medical community's knowledge about the utilization of adult stem cell therapies. Together with the recent publication of our scientific article in the British Journal of Hematology, we hope that our technology is starting to become acknowledged by the medical and scientific communities.

Original Article :

Interested in health matters, we regularly scan health news worldwide and in Thailand. We were indeed surprised when we encountered the article below, published in a U.S. newspaper.

'Improvement of California woman stuns her cardiologist one month after receiving stem cell treatment in Bangkok, Thailand. '

It appears a company called TheraVitae is based in Bangkok, Hong Kong and Israel. Adult stem cell therapy is being given in hospital(s) in Bangkok, Thailand. Scanning of the involved websites reveals that at various times Bangkok Hospital, Chaophya Hospital, and Siriraj Hospital are mentioned. We could not find out how many hospitals are actively involved, how many patients have been treated or what the overall results are.
Still, this is one more 'achievement' that puts Thailand clearly on the map as a destination for health care, and possibly also as a destination for 'experimental' or  'end-of-the-road' desperate medicine. This really is an interesting matter. What is also interesting is that this has not really been covered recently in the English-language newspapers in Bangkok.
While this clearly indicates advanced medical developments, it of course also raises some questions. Why is this therapy by this company (the technology was developed outside of Thailand, to be sure) being performed in Bangkok, and not say in more 'developed' countries such as the U.S. or Europe? Is it possible that medical ethical committees (we assume they exist in the more well known Thai hospitals) are more easily convinced to participate in medical 'trials' like this? Is it part of a policy by Thai hospitals to start catering to desperate people, who can not get certain treatments in their own country, and want to try anything, anywhere to stay alive or get healthy again?
That said, since we do have a medical background, and understand the developments in this field of medicine, we know there is a certain group of patients that can potentially benefit from the therapies given by TheraVitae. Time will tell us whether this therapy in its present form is just a temporary step (experimental medicine, to be sure) or will become a major helpful advancement to the benefit of cardiac patients who are not suitable anymore for standard therapies such as bypass heart surgery, PTCA or stenting of the coronary arteries.

Article from eMediaWire :

Visit related websites for further information and description of the therapy :
www.theravitae.com - www.vescell.com

Reaction to our article (by Paul Talbot, TheraVitae Ltd.):

Dear Sir,

You recently published an article ( http://www.thaiwebsites.com /adultstemcell.asp ) that raised several important questions about stem cell therapy in Thailand.

I think the key point of the article is:

" Why is this therapy by this company (the technology was developed outside of Thailand, to be sure) being performed in Bangkok, and not say in more 'developed' countries such as the U.S. or Europe? Is it possible that medical ethical committees (we assume they exist in the more well known Thai hospitals) are more easily convinced to participate in medical 'trials' like this? Is it part of a policy by Thai hospitals to start catering to desperate people, who can not get certain treatments in their own country, and want to try anything, anywhere to stay alive or get healthy again? "

The therapy takes place in Thailand simply because the owner and founder of the company and the company president both live in Bangkok. Additionally, clinical trials of comparable quality can be conducted at much lower cost in Thailand than in other countries such as the US, for instance. Hence, Bangkok is the first place they talked to cardiologists about it.

The company founder, Don Margolis, suffered through the painful death of his wife by cancer and decided to dedicate the rest of his life to finding cures for terminally ill people. In the course of his research he came across adult stem cell treatments for heart disease that were in clinical trials in Brazil and Uruguay. Margolis became interested in stem cell therapy. Israeli-based Dr. Valentin Fulga was brought in because he has been in the field of cellular therapy for many years, was the previous CEO of ProNeuron (another stem cell company), and had the research contacts to pursue the treatment.

Trials began at Siriraj Hospital. The interim results were so encouraging that the Ethics committee at Chao Phya hospital ruled that cardiologists there could begin treating no-option heart patients on a compassionate basis in the spirit of the Helsinki accord. Later, Dr. Amit Patel, Director of Cardiac Stem Cell Therapies - McGowan Institute, University of Pittsburgh (USA) Medical Center became interested in what was going on in Thailand and quickly realized that the medical standards and practices of the top hospitals in Bangkok are on par with those in the United States. Dr. Patel, who had already conducted successful clinical trials in Uruguay decided to fly to Bangkok where he trained surgeons at Bangkok Heart Hospital to perform the minimally invasive direct injection procedure that he had pioneered. He did this free of cost. Dr. Patel has continued to refer patients to Bangkok Hospital because he believes that they will be helped. He receives no compensation for this.

Incidentally, the treatments given at both hospitals have been cleared by their own ethics boards and by the Medical Ethics Board of Thailand.

So far, only about half of those treated have been foreigners. The rest have been Thai. The treatment is not available to everyone. Only about 1/3 of those patients who pass initial screening are accepted by the hospitals to undergo the procedure. The others are rejected because the cardiologists involved believe that the procedure will not help the patient or in some cases, they determined that the patient was already too ill to undergo any surgical procedure.

At TheraVitae we routinely get requests from desperate people with a wide variety of ailments. We routinely turn many them away because only certain types of heart conditions are treatable and the decision to treat these conditions rests with the cardiologists, not us.

The questions you have raised are good ones. If there is anything more we can do to answer them, please feel free to contact us.

Paul Talbot, Ph.D.

Outreach Director

TheraVitae, Ltd.

(e-mail contact : talbot@theravitae.com)

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