Stem Cell Therapy for MS: What It Costs in 2026

Medically reviewed and approved by the board of haematologists at HSCT Hospital India, whose transplant physicians hold DM Clinical Haematology qualifications and fellowship training in stem cell transplantation. The programme runs at a JCI-USA, NABH and NABL accredited hospital that has treated more than 1500 patients.

Stem cell therapy for multiple sclerosis costs 30,000 US dollars at HSCT Hospital India. That figure is all inclusive and covers a hospital stay of up to 30 days for the patient and one attendant. In the United States the same procedure is reported at 150,000 to 200,000 US dollars, and there it is usually available only inside a clinical trial.

The treatment being priced here is autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation, known as HSCT. It uses the patient’s own blood stem cells to reset the immune system so that it stops attacking the myelin sheath. It is the procedure the MS Trust and the Cleveland Clinic describe as AHSCT, and both distinguish it from the mesenchymal stem cell injections sold by commercial clinics.

Cost of stem cell therapy for MS by country

Two independent sources put figures on the treatment. The MS Trust says the cost of AHSCT at centres abroad varies widely but can range between 30,000 and 85,000 pounds, and it names Mexico, Russia and Israel. The Cleveland Clinic puts the estimated cost of an uncomplicated transplant in the United States at approximately 150,000 US dollars.

A full country by country breakdown, including what each centre includes in its own quoted price, is set out on the HSCT cost by country page.

What the 30,000 US dollars covers

The price at HSCT Hospital India is one figure paid once. There are no hidden or extra charges, and there is no separate bill for doctors, tests, medicines or consumables.

The following are included:

• Airport pick up on arrival in New Delhi and drop back on departure
• The full pre transplant medical evaluation, carried out on arrival by a multidisciplinary team
• Mobilisation of the patient’s own blood stem cells
• Harvest of those cells by leukapheresis
• Conditioning with cyclophosphamide chemotherapy together with antithymocyte globulin
• Reinfusion of the harvested cells
• Up to 30 days as an inpatient in a deluxe private room with triple level HEPA air filtration
• Accommodation inside the room for one attendant travelling with the patient
• All doctors fees, laboratory tests, imaging, medicines and consumables during the admission
• 24 hour nursing care and monitoring throughout the admission
• Neuro physiotherapy during the admission
• Food and laundry for both the patient and the attendant
• A discharge summary and an aftercare manual to hand to the patient’s own neurologist or general practitioner

Four things sit outside the price: international flights, the India medical visa fee, a private nurse attendant if the patient travels without one, charged at 1,500 US dollars for the 30 day stay, and any stay that runs beyond 30 days.

What patients weigh beside the price

Price is one of two numbers patients compare between countries, and the waiting time is the other. Marjorie from Australia compared both numbers. She had secondary progressive MS and looked at centres in Mexico and Russia first and found waiting lists of up to a year. HSCT Hospital India has no long waiting list, so she travelled to New Delhi for treatment in July 2017. Her full account of the treatment in New Delhi, in her own words, is in Marjorie’s story from Australia.

Autologous HSCT and stem cell infusions are two different treatments

Two different products appear in those searches, at very different prices, and they are not the same treatment.

A price of a few thousand US dollars for stem cell treatment of MS is a price for an infusion, not for a transplant. HSCT Hospital India performs autologous HSCT only.

Treatment takes place entirely inside the hospital

The complete 30 day treatment at HSCT Hospital India takes place inside the hospital. There is no outside accommodation stay and no transfer to another facility at any stage, which is what allows the cost to be quoted as one number rather than as a treatment fee with separate accommodation, monitoring and readmission charges added later.

It also holds infection risk down during the period when the immune system is at its weakest. The blood bank, haematopathology, microbiology, histopathology, intensive care, neurology, cardiology and radiology departments are all on the same site.

The four stages of treatment

1. Mobilisation. Medication moves the patient’s blood forming stem cells out of the bone marrow and into the bloodstream.
2. Harvest, or leukapheresis. Those cells are collected from the blood and stored.
3. Conditioning. Cyclophosphamide chemotherapy together with antithymocyte globulin depletes the immune cells that have been attacking the nervous system. The regimen is non myeloablative, meaning the bone marrow is not permanently destroyed, and it involves no radiation.
4. Reinfusion. The stored cells are returned to the patient and rebuild the immune system over the following weeks.

Recovery continues at home under the aftercare manual, with regular blood count checks and periodic updates shared with the hospital.

What the evidence shows

The MIST randomised controlled trial, published in JAMA in 2019, enrolled 110 patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis and randomised 55 to each group, one receiving HSCT and one continuing on disease modifying therapy. Disease progression occurred in 3 patients in the HSCT group and 34 patients in the disease modifying therapy group, at a median follow up of 2 years. There were no deaths in either group.

MIST enrolled patients aged 18 to 55 with relapsing remitting disease, an EDSS of 2.0 to 6.0, and at least two relapses in the previous year while on a disease modifying therapy. For patients outside those limits, no randomised trial has measured the results, so each case is assessed on its own.

At HSCT Hospital India, 87 per cent of MS patients followed for 4 years after HSCT had no further relapses. More than 1,500 patients from over 30 countries have been treated at the hospital since it pioneered HSCT for MS in India in 2016, using a non myeloablative protocol.

Which patients are accepted

HSCT Hospital India assesses relapsing remitting, secondary progressive and primary progressive multiple sclerosis. It also assesses CIDP, systemic lupus erythematosus, myasthenia gravis, small fibre neuropathy, NMOSD, stiff person syndrome and systemic sclerosis.

Patients with an EDSS score up to 6.5 are accepted. A patient does not need to have already tried and failed disease modifying drugs or other immune suppressing treatments to be considered. Patients declined by a centre in another country are still assessed on their own records.

The full criteria, and what happens in cases that fall outside them, are set out on the HSCT eligibility criteria page.

How a patient finds out what their own treatment would cost

The assessment is free and it produces a specific answer rather than a range. A patient completes the Application Form, HSCT specialist doctors review the medical information supplied, and an HSCT case manager replies by email with an initial opinion on eligibility, the treatment plan and the cost, and assists with the India medical visa application.

Frequently asked questions about the cost of stem cell therapy for MS

How much does stem cell therapy for MS cost in India?

30,000 US dollars, all inclusive, covering a hospital stay of up to 30 days for the patient and one attendant. Doctors fees, tests, medicines and consumables are all inside that figure.

How much does stem cell therapy for MS cost in the United States?

Reported at 150,000 to 200,000 US dollars, and usually available only inside a clinical trial. The Cleveland Clinic states a figure of about 150,000 US dollars.

Is stem cell therapy for MS covered by insurance?

Coverage varies by country and by insurer, and many insurers outside the countries that commission the procedure through public health systems classify it as experimental. Patients travelling to India for treatment commonly fund it privately.

Why is stem cell therapy for MS cheaper in India?

Staff, facility and drug costs are lower in India across all private healthcare, and the treatment is delivered as a single 30 day inpatient admission. The protocol used at HSCT Hospital India is a non myeloablative regimen of cyclophosphamide and antithymocyte globulin. Other centres use different regimens: the American BEAT-MS trial and the Cleveland Clinic use higher intensity BEAM chemotherapy with antithymocyte globulin.

Are there extra costs after the treatment?

Follow up blood count checks are carried out by the patient’s own doctor at home under the aftercare manual, and periodic updates are shared with the hospital at no charge. International flights, the India medical visa fee, a private nurse attendant at 1,500 US dollars if one is needed, and any stay that runs beyond 30 days sit outside the package.

Is the price different for CIDP, lupus or myasthenia gravis?

The 30,000 US dollar package covers autologous HSCT for the neurological and autoimmune conditions the hospital treats. Individual cases are confirmed at assessment.

How long does the whole thing take?

Up to 30 days as an inpatient in New Delhi, followed by recovery at home. Patients travel with one attendant, whose stay in the room is included.

Request a free eligibility opinion

HSCT Hospital India, New Delhi NCR, India. info@hsctindia.com

Why Choose HSCT Hospital India for Life Changing Multiple Sclerosis Treatment