Patients with MS exploited by doctor, panel says

Nine men and women, most of whom had "incurable conditions", visited Dr Robert Trossel, "desperate" to find some relief and prepared to raise large sums of money to fund their therapy.

But the General Medical Council panel found Dr Trossel, 55, exaggerated the benefits of treatment which was based on "anecdotal and aspirational information" and scientific research carried out only on animals.

The Dutch-trained doctor also lacked the necessary knowledge to embark on the therapy, the panel said.

"The panel is satisfied that there was neither sufficient scientific nor clinical medical evidence upon which to proceed with the stem cell therapy," it said in a report into the findings of facts.

"Further, Dr Trossel did not have the necessary neurological or scientific expertise upon which to proceed with such therapy," the panel concluded.

And it said Dr Trossel "was not in a position" to supply adequate information to ensure patients could give informed consent.

He also failed to respect the rights of the patients to be fully involved in decisions about their care when they visited him in his clinic in Rotterdam, it said.

At an earlier hearing, Dr Trossel said he only discovered a batch of vials sent to him in 2006 by Advanced Cell Therapeutics were not designed for human use when he took part in a BBC Newsnight programme.

The doctor said he was told the consignment from California-based All Cells was sent in error and was for research use.

From that point, he said patients were only treated with cells bought from a supplier in Pakistan which provided necessary certification for human use.

Besides his Preventief Medisch Centrum clinic in Rotterdam, Dr Trossel had consulting rooms in London.

In October 2006 Dutch authorities ordered him to cease stem cell treatment, the GMC heard.

Dr Trossel denied a series of charges relating to the patients including acting in a way that was inappropriate and exploitative of vulnerable patients.

The panel resumes consideration of the case on September 6.