Update on Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy

Last month the Medicine and Healthcare Regulatory Agency advised the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy that PRP (platelet rich plasma) used as pain relief, or to promote healing, would fall under the legal definition of a medicine – and manufacture would therefore need to be either licensed or carried out under a legal exemption.

Although doctors and dentists have an exemption (under the Human Medicines Regulations (2012)) to produce small amounts of unlicensed medicines in the process of treating a patient, these exemptions do not apply to all medical professionals (and specifically do not apply to chiropractors).

In addition, anyone using the exemption would also need authorisation under the blood safety and quality regulations (2005) – and we are unaware of any chiropractic clinics with this authorisation.

As a result, there is no legal or regulatory framework for chiropractors to be able to process patients’ blood to make PRP.

While we do not believe that PRP is widely offered by chiropractors, it is the GCC’s understanding that any chiropractor offering the therapy is very likely to be breaking the law and should stop immediately.