Families pay thousands for an unproven autism treatment. Researchers say we need ethical guidelines for marketing the tech

"Over the last decade, clinics have popped up across Southern California and beyond advertising something called magnetic e-resonance therapy, or MERT, as a therapy for autism. Developed by the Newport Beach-based company Wave Neuroscience, MERT is based on transcranial magnetic stimulation, a type of brain stimulation that's approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, migraines and smoking addiction."

"But when such treatments are offered to vulnerable people, a group of researchers argue in a new peer-reviewed in the medical journal Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, they should be evidence-based, clearly explained to patients and priced in a way that reflects the likelihood that they will work as advertised. Most clinics advertising off-label TMS as a therapy for autism don't meet those standards, the researchers say."

Magnetic e-resonance therapy (MERT), developed by Wave Neuroscience and based on transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), is being marketed by clinics as a treatment for autism. Clinics claim improvements in sleep, emotional regulation, and communication and often charge $10,000 or more for a six-week course. The FDA has not approved MERT for autism. Off-label use of drugs and devices is legal and common, but ethical recommendations urge that off-label TMS for vulnerable populations be evidence-based, clearly explained to patients, and priced to reflect realistic likelihoods of benefit. Most clinics offering off-label TMS for autism fail to meet those standards.

Read at Los Angeles Times