FDA Warns on Services Offering Injections of Young Blood Plasma

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is cautioning older Americans against using services in several states that offer to inject them with younger people's blood plasma as a treatment for dementia, Parkinson's, and other disorders, reports the Wall Street Journal . "We're alerting consumers and healthcare providers that treatments using plasma from young donors have not gone through the rigorous testing that the FDA normally requires" to demonstrate safety and effectiveness, said two FDA officials. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb and Peter Marks with the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research warned such treatment cannot be considered safe or effective. Plasma's potential benefits in trauma care and other settings stem from it having proteins, and it can be used to treat bleeding and clotting difficulties. However, Gottlieb and Marks said, "We're concerned that some patients are being preyed upon by unscrupulous actors touting treatments of plasma from young donors as cures and remedies." They noted that the FDA had received reports of "bad actors" charging thousands of dollars for infusions. They recommended consumers only choose such treatments from investigators who can prove they are given as part of a clinical study.