The law governing stem cell clinics is extremely complex. The UK classifies stem cell treatments as medicines. This means that before procedures can be licensed, the therapies must undergo the same kind of rigorous trials as those used for other medicines.
The stem cell therapies must first be shown to be safe and effective before they can be licensed for use by the general public.
Experts predict a stem cell treatment for multiple sclerosis for example could be between five and ten years away, given the regulatory hoops that must be jumped through first.
The time it takes to prove scientifically that the treatment both works and is safe has allowed clinics like XCell to spring up abroad attracting foreign patients in large numbers. Such treatments are also currently unavailable in the US and in many other countries in Europe.
But how much longer XCell will be allowed to operate in Germany is not clear.
A European Union regulation passed in 2007 now defines stem cell transplantation as a medicine and Germany has come into line with that. Under the regulation, XCell has until 2012 to show its treatments are effective and safe.
Telegraph UK