Panama built a stem cell medical tourism market that its own regulators say rests on no evidence. In 2026 a peer-reviewed paper mapped it, the national bioethics committee issued an alert and the health ministry opened files. Your patients hear about these clinics on US podcasts, and the same products raise the same questions at home.
Key points
- At least 6 companies were promoting stem cell therapies in Panama by late 2025, sold as tourism packages [1].
- Under Executive Decree 179 of 2018, the only application with proven evidence in the country is hematopoietic transplant [1].
- The National Bioethics Committee sent at least 6 warnings to MINSA between 2015 and 2025 [1].
- In late August 2026 MINSA reported that it had inspected two establishments and opened administrative files [3].
US status (October 2026): See the peptide status tracker.
The market grew in plain sight
Panama became a destination for stem cell medical tourism, with exposure on US podcasts such as Joe Rogan’s [5]. In July 2026, a Stem Cell Reports paper by scientists from the Gorgas Institute and the National Research Bioethics Committee (CNBI) described the market: at least six companies by late 2025, with treatments sold as tourism packages and promoted on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook [1][6].
The authors were blunt: “The lack of enforcement by regulatory bodies […] has likely facilitated the growth of this unproven industry in Panama” [6]. The CNBI sent at least six warnings to MINSA between 2015 and 2025, and since 2018 no stem cell clinical trial protocol had been submitted to the CNBI [1][6].
- At least 6: companies offering therapies by late 2025 [1]
- At least 6: CNBI warnings to MINSA, 2015 to 2025 [1]
- 4: centers authorized for hematopoietic transplant [1]
Panama’s rules allow one established use
Under Executive Decree 179 of 2018, aligned with the recommendations of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), the only clinical application with proven evidence is hematopoietic transplant. Today only four centers hold a license to perform it [1][6]. Any other use is considered experimental and may only be done within research protocols approved by the CNBI and the DNFD [1]. The DNFD has not registered advanced-therapy stem cell products for other uses [2].
In 2026 came an alert and administrative files
In August 2026 the CNBI issued an alert over “tumors, blindness and death” associated with unproven therapies. Its president, Luis Coronado, summed it up: “That a therapy uses stem cells does not mean it is safe or effective” [2]. In late August, MINSA reported that it had inspected two establishments and opened administrative files over possible violations, including missing operating permits and unregistered products [3].
The best-known clinic has a US connection
Panama’s Stem Cell Institute, run by Neil Riordan, is the most visible [5]. In 2023 FDA sent a warning letter to another Riordan company in Texas, Signature Biologics. FDA wrote that its umbilical cord product “is not the subject of an approved biologics license application,” and that the company did not test lots for endotoxin before release. The letter does not mention Panama [4]. Biologist Paul Knoepfler, a critic of these clinics, reviewed the clinic’s published prices in 2021 and noted that its clinical studies “generally do not have placebo controls, randomization, or double-blinding” [5].
What this means for you
Many patients who ask about peptides also ask about stem cells. Panama’s legal framework recognizes only hematopoietic transplant as an established use, and everything else must go through a research protocol [1][3]. In the US, FDA’s 2023 warning letter shows how the agency treats an unlicensed umbilical cord product [4]. Before you add any cell-derived or exosome product, read why exosomes and stem cell products draw enforcement. For how regulators treat stem cells and peptides differently, see the double standard on stem cells and peptides.
References
- Samaniego A. Células madre en Panamá: clínicas ofrecen tratamientos sin evidencia científica. La Prensa (Panamá). July 24, 2026. Link
- La Prensa (Panamá). Tumores, ceguera y muerte: alerta por terapias con células madre sin evidencia. August 5, 2026. Link
- La Prensa (Panamá). Minsa abre investigación a locales que ofrecen tratamientos con células madre. August 31, 2026. Link
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Warning Letter: Signature Biologics, LLC (631039). September 18, 2023. Link
- Knoepfler P. Panama stem cell (article archive, including “Fact-checking Panama stem cell institute,” 2021, and “Deconstructing Joe Rogan promotional stem cell video with Mel Gibson,” 2018). The Niche (ipscell.com). Link
- Solis MA, Quintana M, Candanedo P JE, Trujillo-Sagel RI, Chambonnet L, Lasso S; Members of the National Research Bioethics Committee. Unproven stem cell-based interventions marketed as treatments in Panama: An urgent call for enforcement actions. Stem Cell Reports. 2026;21(8):103017. PMID 42492512. Link
This is general information, not medical or legal advice. Rules vary by state and change. Confirm your own facts with counsel.