APP.
GET THE FREE CBS MIAMI APP, GO
TO THE APP STORE AND SEARCH FOR
CBS LOCAL AND CLICK ON MIAMI.
A CBS4 NEWS INVESTIGATION
AND THE FOOD AND DRUG
ADMINISTRATION TAKES A FEEL FOR
SM STILL RESEARCH CLINIC TO
COURT.
-- STEM CELL RESEARCH CLINIC TO
COURT.
THE FDA SAYS U.S. STEM CELL
IN SUNRISE EXPERIMENTS ON
PATIENTS WITH ADULTERATED DRUGS
AND REFUSES TO OBEY THE LAW.
KERRY TODD INVESTIGATE.
Reporter: SHE MOVED FROM
FRANCE TO SOUTH FLORIDA TO GET
TREATED FOR THE MACULAR
DEGENERATION.
I CAN'T DO NOTHING.
Reporter: SHE CAME TO THE
CLINIC IN COOPER CITY TO BE
TREATED.
SHE PAID SEVERAL THOUSAND
DOLLARS TO PARTICIPATE IN A
CLINICAL TRIAL RUN BY A COMPANY
CALLED BIO HEART, THE PRECURSOR
TO U.S. STEM CELL.
CLINICAL TRIALS CAN BE RISKY.
THERE WERE NO EFFECTS.
I COULD NOT IMAGINE WHAT
HAPPENED NEXT.
Reporter: WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
ACCORDING TO HER AND HER
ATTORNEY AS A CAUTIONARY TALE.
IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE
PROCEDURE, SHE BEGAN TO
EXPERIENCE INFLAMMATION AND
PAIN.
THE ATTORNEY SAID THE PROCEDURE
SEEN IN THE VIDEO FROM U.S.
STEM CELL INVOLVED TAKING STEM
CELLS FROM HER FAT TISSUE,
TREATING THE STEM CELL, AND
INJECTING THEM INTO HER RIGHT
EYEBALL AND BEHIND HER LEFT
EYEBALL.
THEY ASSURED HER ABOUT THE PAIN
SHE WAS HAVING.
SHE SAID IT WAS JUST
INFLAMMATION.
IT WAS NOTHING.
Reporter: IT WAS NOT NORMAL.
SHE IS BLIND IN HER RIGHT I AND
SUFFERED VISION LOSS IN HER
RIGHT EYE.
HER NOTICE -- HER EYES
NOTICEABLY SHRINKING.
Reporter: BULLARD IS NOT
ALONE.
HER ATTORNEY SHOWED -- SUIT ON
BEHALF OF A COUPLE OTHER WOMEN
THAT WENT ON SIMILAR PROCEDURES
AT U.S. STEM CELL.
THOSE COURT RECORDS AND MEDICAL
JOURNAL REPORTS INDICATE THAT
TWO OTHER WOMEN EXPERIENCED
SIMILAR SIGNIFICANT VISION
PROBLEMS.
COURT DOCUMENTS SHOW IN THOSE
CASES, THE PARTY SETTLED THEIR
CLAIMS.
THIS ATTORNEY SAYS U.S. STEM
CELL PREYED ON HER.
THEY ARE EXPLOITING PATIENTS
DESPERATE AND VULNERABLE.
THEY'RE LOOKING FOR HOPE.
Reporter: THE FDA TAKES
ACTION, THE AGENCY SENT HER A
WARNING LETTER LAST YEAR.
THE PROCEDURES THE CLINIC IS
DOING NEED TO BE RELATED BY THE
FDA LIKE A DRY.
IN A SERIES OF ONLINE VIDEOS
AND SPEECHES, SHE MAKES IT CLEAR
SHE DISAGREES.
IT LIMITS THIS FROM PATIENTS
THAT NEED THEM.
Reporter: THE FDA MOVES
FORWARD, THEY WANT U.S. STEM
CELL TO STOP MARKETING STEM
CELL THERAPIES THAT DO NOT HAVE
FDA APPROVAL.
THE LAWSUIT AS AN INJUNCTION IS
NECESSARY TO PREVENT THE
DEFENDANT FROM EXPERIMENTING ON
PATIENTS WITH EXPERIMENTAL
DRUGS.
SHE SHOWED PICTURES OF THE
CLINIC.
THE STATE OF FLORIDA DOES NOT
LIST HER AS A MEDICAL
PROFESSIONAL.
ONLINE BIO SAYS SHE HAS
ADVANCED DEGREES IN CHEMICAL
ENGINEERING AND ADVANCED STEM
CELL BIOLOGY.
SHE PITCHED STEM CELL THERAPY
AS I WONDER CURE AND SPOKE OF
SUCCESS STORIES.
WE HAD PATIENTS UNABLE TO
SPEAK SPEAKING IN FULL
SENTENCES AND TELLING US ABOUT
THE DAY THEY WERE INJURED.
Reporter: THERE WAS LITTLE
DISCUSSION ABOUT PATIENTS LIKE
JENNY MILLER THAT SUFFERED FROM
EYE DAMAGE.
WE TRACTOR DOWN IN WESTON TO
ASK HER ABOUT IT.'S THESE WOMEN
CANNOT SEE AND THEY TRUSTED THE
CLINIC TO DO THE WORK FOR THEM.
NOTHING TO SAY TO THAT?
SHE DID NOT WANT TO COMMENT
SIDING AN ONGOING LAWSUIT.
SHE DID NOT WANT TO TALK ABOUT
MUCH INCLUDING THE FDA LAWSUIT
AND THE CLINIC WORK.
YOU DON'T WANT TO ANSWER THAT
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CLINIC?
I WILL ASK YOU TO MEET WITH
THE PR PEOPLE AND NEED TO REACH
OUT THEM UP THIS TO THEM FOR
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS AND TURN
THE CAMERA OFF.
IT'S SMALL AND LOCALIZED
BLEEDING AND IS NOT NORMAL.
Reporter: THIS DOCTOR AT THE
EYE INSTITUTE TREATED HER AND
CO-AUTHORED A PAPER ON THREE
OTHER PATIENTS FROM U.S. STEM
CELL THAT SUSTAINED PERMANENT
EYE DAMAGE FROM THE STEM CELL
PROCEDURE.
HE BELIEVES MORE STUDY NEEDS TO
BE DONE BEFORE PERFORMING
TREATMENTS ON PEOPLE.
I THINK IT IS WRONG TO OFFER
THESE TYPES OF THERAPY TO
PEOPLE WHEN THEY ARE DANGEROUS
AND PEOPLE ARE NOT AWARE OF THE
RISK.
Reporter: SHE LEARNED OF THE
U.S. STEM CELL CLINICS THROUGH
THE CLINICAL TRIAL POSTED ON
THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF
HEALTH WEBSITE.
SHE BELIEVED THAT GAVE THE
TRIAL LEGITIMACY.
THERE IS A DISCLAIMER ON THE
SITE OF THE TRIALS LISTED HAVE
NOT BEEN VETTED BY THE
GOVERNMENT.
SHE STILL BELIEVE IT'S WRONG
FOR IT TO BE POSTED ON A
GOVERNMENT WEBSITE.
WHAT MAKES ME ANGRY TO FIND
THIS ON MY NATIONAL INSTITUTE
OF HEALTH, HOW CAN THIS BE
LISTED ON SUCH AN OFFICIAL
WEBSITE?
I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT.
Reporter: THE DOCTOR FROM
BASCOM PALMER SAYS THE FUNERAL
IN A CLINICAL TRIAL, YOU ALMOST
NEVER PAY.
IT'S SEEN AS A CONFLICT OF
INTEREST IN THE MEDICAL FIELD
TO PAY TO BE IN A MEDICAL TRIAL.
ON THEIR WEBSITE, U.S. STEM
CELL IN SUNRISE SAYS THEY PLAN
TO VIGOROUSLY DEFEND THEMSELVES
AGAINST THE FDA LAWSUIT.
WE REACHED OUT NUMEROUS TIMES
TO CONTACT DOCTOR GREEN BOUND
WE MENTIONED BUT SHE DID NOT
GET BACK WITH US.
THANKS, CARRIE.
THAT'S AN AMAZING STORY.
WHAT ADVICE DID EXPERTS OFFERED
PATIENTS UNDERGOING STEM CELL
THERAPY?
Reporter: THE FDA SUGGESTS
IF YOUR MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL OR
DOCTOR RECOMMENDS YOU HAVE A
STEM CELL PROCEDURE, YOU ASK
THEM IF THE FDA HAS APPROVED
THAT PROCEDURE.
THE FDA ALSO SAYS IN A RECENT
WARNING IT OUT ON THEIR WEBSITE
, STEM CELL THERAPIES MAY ONE
DAY BE USED TO TREAT A NUMBER
OF DISEASES AND DIFFERENT
MEDICAL CONDITIONS.
THE FDA BELIEVES THAT DAY IS
NOT HERE YET.