Category Archives: MS Treatment

CTVNews.ca Staff Published Friday, Sep. 28, 2012 10:51AM EDT Last Updated Saturday, Sep. 29, 2012 10:14AM EDT A Canadian study that will test the so-called liberation treatment on people with multiple sclerosis has received the necessary medical and ethical approvals to go ahead. Dr. Anthony Traboulsee, medical director of the UBC Hospital MS Clinic, and his team received ethics approvals from institutions in British Columbia and Qubec and will now begin the process to begin a clinical trial into the procedure. The main objective of the study will be to determine the safety of conducting angioplasty to open neck and chest veins, and to monitor how the procedure affects MS patients. This pan Canadian controlled study will allow us to monitor MS patients over a two-year period and obtain scientific evidence on the safety and efficacy of the CCSVI procedure in the long term, Dr. Traboulsee said in a statement Friday. Patient recruitment for the study will begin on Nov. 1, 2012. Approximately 100 patients are expected to participate in the trial, to be conducted in British Columbia and Qubec. The study is a collaborative effort of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the MS Society of Canada and … Continue reading →

A long-awaited Canadian trial of a controversial experimental treatment for multiple sclerosis has been given the go-ahead and will soon begin recruiting patients, Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq announced Friday. Ms. Aglukkaq, in Halifax for a meeting with provincial and territorial health ministers, said about 100 MS patients will be enrolled in the trial to assess the safety and efficacy of the procedure to unblock narrowed neck veins. The condition dubbed chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency, or CCSVI has been proposed as a possible cause of MS by Italian vascular surgeon Paolo Zamboni. More than three years ago, Dr. Zamboni hypothesized that narrowed and twisted veins in the neck and chest prevent blood from draining properly from the brain, resulting in iron deposits that could cause the brain lesions typical of MS. The disease causes the destruction of myelin, the protective sheath around nerves throughout the body, leading to progressive physical and cognitive disability. Dr. Anthony Traboulsee, medical director of the UBC Hospital MS Clinic, will lead the $6-million study, which will be conducted initially in Vancouver and Montreal. Medical and ethical approval is also being sought for parts of the trial to be conducted in Quebec City and Winnipeg, Dr. Traboulsee … Continue reading →

WINNIPEG There will be no Manitoba-sponsored clinical trials into a new treatment for multiple sclerosis, but Health Minister Theresa Oswald says MS sufferers should not despair. The province is close to negotiating an arrangement with a Canadian group that would include Manitobans in a national study into the efficacy of the liberation treatment for MS, Oswald said Thursday. Earlier in the day, the Manitoba Health Research Council revealed that it had received only one application to conduct clinical trials for the new procedure and had found it wanting. A review committee examined the proposal and, based on the criteria that had been established, had just deemed that it was not good enough to go forward, said MHRC executive director Christina Weise. The research council recommended that Manitoba partner instead with MS clinical trials being organized by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Oswald said discussions with that group are already well underway. Im extremely optimistic that were going to be able to find a way for Manitobans to become part of the clinical study here in Canada, Oswald said from Halifax, where she was attending a meeting of provincial and territorial health ministers. Eighteen months ago, after considerable pressure from … Continue reading →

Brandon Sun - ONLINE EDITION By: Larry Kusch 27/09/2012 3:41 PM | Comments: 0 Enlarge Image Dr. Brian Postl, chair of the Manitoba Health Research Council The Manitoba Health Research Council today pulled the plug on provincially sponsored trials to test the so-called liberation treatment for multiple sclerosis. The research council issued a press release saying that after a thorough review, it has determined that the sole team of researchers that applied to conduct the research did not meet its criteria for a safe, ethical clinical trial. Eighteen months ago, after considerable pressure from some MS sufferers, Premier Greg Selinger committed $5 million for conducting clinical trials on the worthiness of the liberation therapy, which unblocks veins in a patients neck. The province handed the task of assessing research proposals to the council. "MHRC has a duty to ensure any funded research meets criteria for safety and ethics, and the scientific review team, consisting of leading national and international researchers, determined the application we received did not meet that criteria," said the research councils chair, Dr. Brian Postl. See the article here: Research team fails in bid to test 'liberation therapy' for MS … Continue reading →

A New Jersey woman has been accused of faking cancer and scamming concerned friends and family out of thousands of dollars. Source: Supplied WHEN Lori Stilley told her friends and family that she had bladder cancer, they delivered meals, held raffles and a T-shirt sale, hastily planned and paid for her wedding and raised more than $10,000 for her treatment. But prosecutors say it was all a scam. Ms Stilley, a 40-year-old who lives in Delran, New Jersey, was charged on Wednesday with theft by deception, charges her lawyer denies. Authorities say Ms Stilley told family and friends in February 2011 that she had stage 3 bladder cancer and would need chemotherapy and radiation. Two months later, she told them - and posted on her Facebook page and personal website - that it was now stage 4, which means the cancer was spreading to other parts of her body. Her friends and supporters pitched in the way people often do for sick loved ones: making a schedule of meal deliveries and - when she said she didn't have medical insurance - raising money. The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office said family and friends also hastily planned and paid for her wedding … Continue reading →

PHILADELPHIA, PA--(Marketwire - Sep 25, 2012) - Total Rehab and Fitness (TRF) will be hosting an open house on September 27, 2012 from 12-2 p.m. to showcase their multiple disciplinary models of care for patients with multiple sclerosis. Two current patients will be at the open house to share their success stories. The Greater Delaware Chapter of the National MS Society has been able to provide funding for TRF to continue providing life-changing treatment. TRF provides their patients with tailored programs with services including physical therapy, occupational therapy, behavioral therapy and speech therapy. Congressman Jon Runyan will be there to show his support for members of the National MS Society, as well as his chief of staff, Stacy Palmer-Barton. TRF staff members who will be in attendance include founder and Director of Therapy Services John Marmarou, Director of Behavioral Services John Armando and Medical Director Marshall Lauer. Chapter President Tami Caesar, Vice President of Advocacy Karen Mariner and Client Services Manager Melissa Bruno will also be at Friday's open house. The open house will take place at TRF's headquarters located at 1111 Marlkress Rd., Cherry Hill, NJ 08003. There are more than 14,000 members of the Greater Delaware Valley community … Continue reading →

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, was honored at the 38th annual Dinner of Champions. The gala event took place on Monday, September 24, 2012, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles. The event raised $2.1 million that will support the National MS Societys vital programs and services to improve the quality of life for people with MS, as well as cutting-edge research for better treatments and a cure. Melissa Sherak Glasser, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1987 when she was only 15 years old, was presented with the Dorothy Corwin Spirit of Life award for educating, motivating and inspiring so many to live well and pay it forward. Director Christopher Nolan and his wife, producer Emma Thomas, presented the award to Jeff Robinov in recognition of his and Warner Bros. continued support in helping the National MS Society move closer toward a world free of multiple sclerosis. Rock musician Chris Cornell and Carolina Liar performed at the dinner. Byron Allen was master of ceremonies for the 20th year and also served with Joe Roth and Tom Sherak as Dinner Chairs. Other special guests in attendance included Ben Affleck, Jason … Continue reading →

For years, patients suffering from multiple sclerosis had to endure injection therapies to stave off the horrible disease. Oral medications have finally emerged from development recently, and it turns out the competition is heating up fast: Results arrived on two major clinical trials for Biogen Idec's (NYSE: BIIB) own oral MS drug, BG-12, and the data looks rock-solid. With the MS market suddenly red-hot, will Biogen's latest success propel the company to higher heights? Mopping up the competitionBiogen's two phase 3 trials for BG-12 came out in Wednesday's New England Journal of Medicine with promising results. The two trials demonstrated strong efficacy for BG-12, with chronic relapses falling 44% to 51% at the two-year mark. Given that drugs currently used to combat MS relapses typically demonstrate only a 30% improvement, BG-12's success looks sharp. While the FDA won't rule on BG-12's approval until later in the year, Biogen's drug looks to become just the third oral medication for MS on the market. Sanofi's (NYSE: SNY) Aubagio received the green light from the FDA earlier this month, following Novartis's (NYSE: NVS) Gilenya, the first oral MS treatment launched in 2010. Unfortunately for Biogen's two competitors, their drugs come with serious questions … Continue reading →

A cannabis user from Earley who claims the drug has changed his life is calling for it to be made legal. Clark French, 26, of Sutcliffe Avenue, was diagnosed Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in August 2010. He was studying ancient history and archaeology at The University of Reading, but his symptoms rapidly became so bad that he had to use a walking stick and was forced to quit his degree. Mr French said: It meant I couldnt walk, I would slur my speech, I would have bladder and bowel problems. It destroyed my life, I couldnt do anything. Theres a treatment which is usually given to people who have had MS for over 10 years, I was offered that when I was diagnosed, which was pretty unheard of. Last year Mr French flew out to California, where medicinal use of the drug is legal, and underwent a cannabis-based treatment. He said: I got a doctors appointment and access to medical cannabis. I used cannabis oil and Ive not used my walking stick since. Its drastically increased my quality of life. For the first week I just slept a lot and after that I was with some friends and I was climbing … Continue reading →

FREMONT, Calif., Sept. 24, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zyomyx, Inc., an innovator in the development and commercialization of proprietary diagnostic platforms, has appointed Jennifer McFarlane as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Ms. McFarlane brings 25 years of experience in finance and global investment banking. In total, she has helped raise more than US$600 million, primarily for early-stage companies, and close approximately 15 mergers and acquisitions (M&A). At Zyomyx, Ms. McFarlane will be responsible for financial operations, investor relations and capital raising. Prior to joining Zyomyx, Ms. McFarlane was CFO at LanzaTech, where she built infrastructure to support the company's initial sales on three continents. Previous positions also include CEO of Astia, a nonprofit accelerator focused on high-growth, women-led startups; Executive Director of Southern Pacific Petroleum, a public energy technology company in Australia; and Vice President of Investment Banking at Salomon Brothers, now Citigroup. Ms. McFarlane has also worked with the Barents Group of KPMG Consulting, providing strategic advice and M&A services to corporations and governments across seven emerging economies. "Jennifer's experience working in emerging markets and with public- and private-sector companies will be a tremendous asset," said Peter Wagner, Zyomyx's CEO. "She will undoubtedly help drive our commercial success, particularly as … Continue reading →