Is stem cell therapy legal in Panama?

Only as research. Panama's 2018 decree on cells and tissues says the only accepted stem cell treatment worldwide is a blood stem cell transplant for blood diseases, and that every other use is still experimental.^[1]

Stem cells used in clinical research are classed as advanced therapy medicines, and the national pharmacy authority can permit them for research purposes only. Nothing in the decree creates a route for selling a stem cell treatment to a paying patient.^[1] No stem cell product approved for sale in Panama was found.^[1]^[2]^[3]

What the trial registry shows

Nine registered studies have a site in Panama, all sponsored by the same company, Translational Biosciences, and eight of them at the Stem Cell Institute in Panama City.^[4] Five were withdrawn with no one enrolled.^[4]

A 2019 autism study run at the Stem Cell Institute was retracted in 2021 because families had been charged to take part and this was not disclosed.^[5]^[6]

How to check a clinic yourself

Is the doctor licensed to practise? Panama calls this idoneidad. Where: Ministry of Health, Consulta de Profesionales Idóneos.

Is the clinic licensed for cell work? Ask for the licence, then check it with the ministry. Where: Ministry of Health (MINSA).

Has the protocol been reviewed? Ask for the national bioethics committee evaluation. Where: Comité Nacional de Bioética de la Investigación.

Is there a permit for the product? Ask for the permit number. Where: Dirección Nacional de Farmacia y Drogas.

Is the study registered? Search by location. Where: ClinicalTrials.gov.

Questions to ask a clinic in Panama

Is this a research protocol? Can I see the bioethics committee evaluation and the product permit?
Am I being charged to take part? If so, why?
Is the study registered, and what is its number?
Which lab made the cells, and can I see the certificate for my batch?
What is the treating doctor's idoneidad number?
Who follows me up after I fly home?

Sources

6 references

Órgano Ejecutivo, República de Panamá, et al. Decreto Ejecutivo N° 179 de 8 de junio de 2018, que reglamenta la investigación con tejidos y células de origen humano en la República de Panamá. Gaceta Oficial Digital No. 28546-A, República de Panamá, 2018. Link
Dirección Nacional de Farmacia y Drogas, Ministerio de Salud, República de Panamá. Dirección Nacional de Farmacia y Drogas: Legislación (Decretos, Leyes, Resoluciones) and departmental structure. Ministerio de Salud, República de Panamá, 2026. Link
Dirección Nacional de Farmacia y Drogas, Ministerio de Salud, República de Panamá. Alerta Sanitaria: listado de alertas sanitarias. Ministerio de Salud, República de Panamá, 2026. Link
ClinicalTrials.gov, US National Library of Medicine. ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 search: location country Panama, intervention 'stem cell OR mesenchymal'. 2026. Link
STEM CELLS Translational Medicine Editors. Retraction: Allogeneic Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells for the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children: Safety Profile and Effect on Cytokine Levels. Stem Cells Translational Medicine, 2021. Link
Riordan NH, et al. Allogeneic Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells for the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children: Safety Profile and Effect on Cytokine Levels. Stem Cells Translational Medicine, 2019. Link

Stem cell therapy in Panama.

5 clinics in Panama.