Explainer · 5 minute read

Utah law and regenerative therapies

Utah has a statute on what it calls stem cell therapy. It is a disclosure law: it says what a provider must tell you, in writing, before going ahead. Here is what it requires and what it leaves untouched.

General information, not medical or legal advice.

Updated October 2026 · 5 minute read

Utah's statute on stem cell therapy is a disclosure rule. It decides what you must be told and what you must sign. It does not decide whether a therapy is a good idea.

This is general information for anyone considering a clinic in Utah, ours or another. It is not legal or medical advice. It describes the statute as published in October 2026, and laws change, so the text itself is linked below.

What the statute is called, and where it sits

The law is Utah Code 58-1-512. Its title is three words: “Stem cell disclosure.” It sits in Title 58, “Occupations and Professions,” inside the Division of Professional Licensing Act, in the part on unlawful and unprofessional conduct. It was enacted in 2024 and took effect on May 1 of that year.

The address tells you what kind of law it is: a rule about how providers must conduct themselves, filed among the licensing rules. “Stem cell therapy” is the statute's own term, and this article uses it only as the statute does. The definition takes in afterbirth placental perinatal stem cells and the federal category of human cells, tissues, and cellular or tissue-based products.

Who may perform it, and on what condition

Utah law lets a health care provider whose scope of practice includes stem cell therapy perform a stem cell therapy that is not FDA-approved, but only after giving the patient a specific written notice and obtaining a signed consent form.

Utah's law is a state licensing rule about disclosure and consent. It does not make any therapy FDA-approved, and it does not change federal law.

Two conditions sit inside that first sentence. One is scope of practice. The section does not say which providers meet it, so it is a fair thing to ask: does your scope of practice include this? The other is the paperwork, which is the substance of the law.

The section also says who it does not apply to: a provider who holds an FDA investigational approval for the use of human cell and tissue products, and a provider who performs the therapy under an employment or other contract for an institution certified by one of the bodies the statute lists.

What the law does not do

The statute says a provider “may perform” a therapy, and it is easy to read more into those words than is there. Three limits are worth stating.

  • It approves nothing. The statute does not say any therapy is safe, effective or approved, and it does not approve, license or certify any product or clinic.
  • It leaves federal law where it was. The statute borrows a federal definition and refers to FDA approval status. It overrides nothing, and the federal rules for these products contain no exception for state law. See what “not FDA-approved” actually means.
  • It sets no product standard. The text contains no rule on lab accreditation, donor testing, potency or quality. Where a product comes from and how it is handled are still your questions to ask.

The written notice

Before performing the therapy, the provider must give you a written notice. The statute is specific about its form: paper at least eight and a half by eleven inches, and type no smaller than forty point. The same notice must be prominently displayed at the entrance and in an area of the office visible to patients.

The wording is not left to the provider. The Legislature wrote it. Here it is in full, exactly as the statute sets it out.

Utah law requires us to give you this notice

THIS NOTICE MUST BE PROVIDED TO YOU UNDER UTAH LAW. This health care practitioner performs one or more stem cell therapies that have not yet been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration. You are encouraged to consult with your primary care provider before undergoing a stem cell therapy.

Utah Code 58-1-512 · What this notice means

Utah's notice encourages you to talk with your primary care provider first. So do we.

The signed consent form

The notice is half of it. Before any therapy this statute covers, expect to sign a consent form written in language you can understand. For these therapies, Utah law requires the form to cover the therapy's FDA approval status, the recognized alternatives, and the recognized serious possible risks.

The statute asks for more than that. The form must describe the nature of what is proposed, and it must cover the risks of the alternatives too, including the option of doing nothing. Read that page slowly. Nothing on a consent form is a promise of an outcome. Individual results vary.

The advertising rule

The notice follows the provider into its advertising. A provider who must give the notice must include it “in any advertisement for the stem cell therapy.” In a print advertisement it must be clearly legible, in a font size no smaller than the largest font size used in the advertisement. In any other advertisement it must meet that same size test or be clearly spoken.

The section does not define “advertisement,” so how far the rule reaches is a question for lawyers. The text is plain about size, though. The notice may be no smaller than the largest type in the ad. A line of small print at the bottom does not meet that.

The 2026 amendment

In 2026 the Legislature added one provision, in force since May 6 of that year: a person may supply human cell and tissue products to a provider if the provider's scope of practice includes stem cell therapy and the provider has first confirmed in writing that each patient whose therapy uses them will receive the notice. The notice, consent and advertising language did not change.

How it is enforced

The enforcement clause is one sentence long: “A violation of this section is unprofessional conduct.” That makes it a licensing matter. The state's Division of Professional Licensing can act on the license of a provider who engages in unprofessional conduct.

What to expect from a provider this law covers

Before the therapy
  • The written notice, on paper and in large type, given to you before the therapy.
  • The same notice posted at the entrance and where patients can see it.
  • A consent form in language you can understand, to read and sign before anything is done.
  • The notice in the provider's advertising for these therapies.

Three questions are worth asking out loud. Is this product approved by the FDA? What will the consent form say about risks and alternatives? Have you given me the notice Utah requires? There are more in the full checklist.

At Nuvira, cellular & biologic therapies are described as what they are: elective and not FDA-approved. Candidacy is decided at consultation. No outcome is promised. And you have a written, plain-language plan to keep and show your own doctor.

Sources

  1. Utah Code 58-1-512, “Stem cell disclosure”, Utah State Legislature, version in force since May 6, 2026
  2. S.B. 199, Placental Tissue Amendments, Utah State Legislature, 2024 General Session
  3. S.B. 55, Placental Tissue Amendments, Utah State Legislature, 2026 General Session
  4. Utah Code 58-1-501 and 58-1-401, on unprofessional conduct and action on a license, Utah State Legislature
  5. Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 1271, eCFR

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