Stem cell therapy cost: what does the price include?

What belongs on the written price?

Ask whether the total covers both the first visit and treatment. The paper should show later checks and any care after treatment. If more treatment might be offered, get that possible charge too. A monthly payment won't show the whole price by itself.

Take the written amount home and read every line. Check how long the quoted price remains open. Also ask whether any payment can be returned if plans change. You'll have a clearer total before deciding.

Which safety questions should I ask?

Care given through a needle can cause bleeding, bruising, soreness, or infection. Drawing soft marrow near the pelvis can leave a second sore area. Donated birth material needs careful testing and storage before use. Get a phone number in case redness, leaking fluid, or fever appears afterward.

Your medicines and health problems may change these risks. Tell clinic staff about every medicine, allergy, and health problem before care. Don't stop medicine from your own doctor unless that doctor agrees. Clear health details help staff discuss safety with you.

What other care should I compare?

Compare the clinic treatment with gentle exercise, heat, and other home care. Physical therapy or medicine may cost less through your health plan. Surgery may belong in the talk if your own doctor thinks it fits. You'll want the price and work involved for each choice.

Ask when you can fairly judge whether treatment helped. Use one regular chore, such as walking or dressing, as your check. If the chore isn't easier by then, call the clinic. Ask whether more time or a different choice makes sense.

Can I decide after I get home?

Yes, you can read the full price at home before deciding. A quick discount shouldn't rush care for your joint. Questions often become clearer once you're away from the clinic. Call back if a charge or safety answer is still missing.

Keep the treatment name beside its risks and care directions. Review those details with your own doctor if you are unsure. You'll then compare both the money and the work afterward. No price is useful when part of the care remains unclear.

Sources

1. Three patients who received intravitreal injections of autologous adipose-derived 'stem cells' at a US clinic for macular degeneration suffered severe bilateral vision loss; pre-injection acuity ranged from 20/30 to 20/200 and one year later ranged from 20/200 to no light perception.

   Kuriyan AE, et al. — Vision Loss after Intravitreal Injection of Autologous "Stem Cells" for AMD. N Engl J Med, 2017. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1609583.

2. An analysis of 38 businesses advertising stem cell and exosome products for COVID-19 found listed prices from $2,950 to $25,000 with an average of $11,322 - a direct measure of what this marketplace charges for products with no regulatory approval.

   Turner L, et al. — Businesses marketing purported stem cell treatments and exosome therapies for COVID-19: An analysis of direct-to-consumer online advertising claims. Stem Cell Reports, 2023. DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2023.09.015.

3. FDA's public safety notification of 6 December 2019 states there are currently no FDA-approved exosome products, describes multiple reports of serious adverse events in Nebraska patients treated with unapproved products marketed as containing exosomes, and rejects the claim made by some clinics that exosomes fall outside drug and biological product regulation as 'simply untrue'.

   US Food and Drug Administration, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research — Public Safety Notification on Exosome Products. , 2019.

4. In orders issued 26 December 2024 and announced 8 January 2025, a federal court permanently banned the co-founders of the Stem Cell Institute of America and their companies from marketing any regenerative medicine treatment, and ordered $5,155,146 in refunds and civil penalties. The court found on summary judgment that they published false and misleading advertisements about the efficacy and approval of stem cell injections for osteoarthritis, neuropathy and joint pain; their clinic charged up to $5,000 per injection and the customers were almost exclusively elderly and disabled people.

   US Federal Trade Commission — Stem Cell Institute Co-Founders and Companies Banned from Marketing Stem Cell Treatments and Ordered to Pay More Than $5.1 Million for Refunds and Civil Penalties. , 2025.

5. In October 2018 the FTC settled charges against a California physician and two companies that earned at least $3.31 million selling 'amniotic stem cell therapy' between 2014 and 2017 - initial injections cost $9,500 to $15,000 with booster treatments at $5,000 to $8,000 - for advertising, without evidence, that it treated Parkinson's disease, autism, macular degeneration, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and osteoarthritis.

   US Federal Trade Commission — FTC Stops Deceptive Health Claims by a Stem Cell Therapy Clinic. , 2018.

6. FDA states in its consumer alert that the only FDA-approved stem cell products in the United States are blood-forming stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood, approved for disorders of the blood-forming system, and that NONE of these products - stem cells, stromal vascular fraction, umbilical cord blood, Wharton's jelly or amniotic fluid - has been approved for the treatment of any orthopedic condition, including osteoarthritis, tendonitis, disc disease, tennis elbow, back pain, hip pain, knee pain, neck pain or shoulder pain.

   US Food and Drug Administration, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research — Consumer Alert on Regenerative Medicine Products Including Stem Cells and Exosomes. , 2020.