Top IVF doctor's clinics raided by police

From the UK's Independent:

"Two fertility clinics run by Mohamed Taranissi, Britain's most successful IVF doctor, were inspected unannounced on Monday, after one of the clinics was filmed offering unproven treatment to women.

Police accompanied Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority inspectors during the visits to the London-based clinics­ the Assisted Reproduction and Gynaecology Centre and Reproductive Genetics Institute­ run by Mr Taranissi, who has produced 2 300 babies over the past seven years and is reportedly worth £30-million.

The HFEA said it obtained search warrants as part of 'regulatory action' after being contacted by 'whistle-blowers who appear to have been working in the centre'.

The investigation comes after staff at one of the clinics were filmed for the BBC's Panorama allegedly offering a 26-year-old undercover journalist 'unnecessary and unproven' IVF treatment, despite she and her husband having no history of fertility problems."

Here's more from the Guardian:

The fertility clinic with the highest IVF success rate in the country is the worst at meeting standards - including safety procedures - set by the fertility regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.

The Assisted Reproduction and Gynaecology Centre, run by Britain's wealthiest doctor, Mohamed Taranissi, ranks the lowest among 77 clinics currently licensed for treatment. Only one other clinic, the Reproductive Genetics Institute in London, scored lower in an HFEA audit, but it no longer has a licence to practise.

At this point, these are allegations only, but with any medical treatment that becomes a consumer item, may I remind you: caveat emptor! I have definitely heard anecdotal stories of docs trying to "pump up the volume" either with unecessary treatments, or harvesting non viable eggs to stretch out those profitable IVF cycles...