WA Wins Suit Against Seattle Company Over Bogus Stem Cell Treatment

SEATTLE — Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson is declaring victory over a Seattle-based company, US Stemology, which peddled unproven stem cell injection treatments, falsely promising to cure patients of COVID-19, lupus, asthma, Parkinson's, congestive heart failure, and dozens of other serious health conditions.

Ferguson and his office filed a lawsuit against the company and owner, Dr. Tami Meraglia, back in March. Meraglia and US Stemology ran the Seattle Stem Cell Center in Seattle's lower Queen Anne neighborhood. In its suit, the Attorney General's Office (AGO) alleged the center charged 107 people a combined $748,250 for their unproven medical treatments. Some patients were even charged up to $10,000 upfront for their chance to participate in the center's "research."

“Dr. Meraglia and US Stemology advertised stem cells as a life-changing miracle cure that could treat almost anything — even COVID,” Ferguson said. “They preyed on people’s fears and frustrations about their health to sell hundreds of thousands of dollars in unproven treatments. Our work put a stop to US Stemology’s modern day snake-oil scheme.”

Now, the AGO says it has obtained a consent decree from King County Superior Court, forcing the company to pay back $500,000, money which will be used to reimburse those who paid for the center's unproven stem cell treatments. If the company fails to do so, it will be charged an additional $300,000 in suspended penalties.

That may come to pass, as the AGO says it has independently verified US Stemology does not have the money on hand to pay its half-million dollar fee. The company has up to two years to find the money, at a six percent interest rate.

Though the Seattle Stem Cell Center claimed its injections could cure numerous diseases, the Food and Drug Administration has only approved stem cell treatments for a select few blood disorders, none of which the center actually treated. Furthermore, while it is true that most stem cell treatments are not covered by health insurance, in most real clinical trials for unproven treatments, researchers pay patients to participate— not the other way around.

According to the Attorney General's Office, Meraglia began claiming her stem cell treatments could cure a number of conditions as early as 2018, starting her clinic "out of the basement of the medispa she owned". When the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, her company reacted by promoting banners like the one shown below, claiming stem cells could counter the coronavirus and urging consumers to "call now" for an appointment.

The center ceased operation in June 2021, when the AGO began its investigation.

Fraudulent stem cell injection sites have been a growing problem across the country, according to the AG's lawsuit. Anyone who has seen similarly suspicious or unproven claims about health treatments or stem cell injections can report them to the Attorney General's Office by filing a complaint online.