Newsweek's February 4, 2015 article The Hunt for a Multiple Sclerosis Cure, is ambitious in scope and, for a popular audience, is deftly written. It's worth a read, with some insights about the human suffering caused by MS interspersed with a smattering of interesting research into possible future cures.
The problem with an article like this is that it's bound to miss a lot. And in this case, missing HSCT was a huge miss! I did HSCT at Northwestern University in Chicago one year ago. It stopped my very aggressive RRMS. I no longer need MS drugs. A recent JAMA paper by Dr. Richard Burt summarizes the success of the procedure so far with 151 patients. Most patients improved by at least one point on the disability scale and nearly 85% showed no evidence of further MS disease activity after two years. No other drug or procedure comes as close to being a cure! See Dr. Burt's report here.
http://www.stemcell-immunotherapy.com/article_pdfs/jama-jan-20-2015-vol-212-number-3.pdf
ALERT: Northwestern is still recruiting patients for a Phase 3 study Stem Cell Therapy for Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Failing Alternate Approved Therapy - A Randomized Study
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00273364?term=failing+beta+interferon&rank=2
I am hoping to get support for this. I am a Canadian so the only way I can make pressure to get HSCT recognized and allowed as an optional treatment is to post a change.org petition request.
ReplyDeleteIf I have any success at all with our newly elected government - then I believe it would put pressure on other countries to follow suit, either out of common sense or national pride, or even a sense of competition - hopefully just out of compassion and realization what an ugly disease this is.
Canadians believing HSCT should be a patient's option for treatment please sign, and even if you are not Canadian, please sign because if this is successful and our country offers this procedure - other countries will follow.
link:
https://www.change.org/p/info-cahspr-ca-sab-ccs-hc-sc-gc-ca-phecg-secretariat-hc-sc-gc-ca-public-health-agency-of-canada-s-public-health-ethics-consultative-group-phecg-col-maureen-haberstock-jane-philpott-parl-gc-provide-hsct-for-multiple-sclerosis-as-a-recognized-treatment?recruiter=28470825&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=share_email_responsive&rp_sharecordion_checklist=control