Health Ministry Bars Routine Stem Cell Therapy for Autism, Restricts Use to Approved Trials

Key facts

• The Union Health Ministry issued an advisory on September 16, 2026, directing states not to offer unproven stem cell interventions as routine, standard or commercial clinical services.
• Stem cell therapy will be offered as standard clinical care only for disease conditions and indications approved by the ministry, with therapeutic use for autism spectrum disorder restricted to duly approved clinical trials.
• Autism-related stem cell trials must comply with the National Guidelines for Stem Cell Research, 2017, issued jointly by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT).
• The advisory follows a Supreme Court judgment on stem cell therapy regulation, which held that non-compliance with statutory requirements must attract consequences, including professional misconduct.
• States and Union Territories have been asked to circulate the Supreme Court's directions among regulatory authorities and government and private clinical establishments involved in stem cell research, treatment, promotion or administration.