By Katie Ryan
Members of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada are applauding the latest news out of Saskatchewan – that the provincial government is willing to fund clinical trials of the liberation treatment.
Premier Brad Wall made the announcement last week calling the liberation procedure an “avenue of hope” for patients afflicted with MS. The issue will be raised at the Council of the Federation meeting with other provincial and territorial leaders.
“We are happy to see that the Saskatchewan government is going to fund some clinical trials. We think that it’s going to help answer some of the questions regarding this treatment,” said Darrel Gregory, Alberta MS director of communications in an interview with the Source.
The treatment is based on a theory of Italian doctor Paolo Zamboni, that blocked veins in the neck or spinal cord are to blame for MS. Impaired blood drainage through the veins from the brain is a condition known as chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency.
“The important thing to keep in mind is that the MS Society is already funding for research projects, but those projects don’t involve people being treated. No one is going to get the treatment, there are no clinical trials,” said Gregory, adding MS sufferers travel to other countries where the treatment is already available.
“What Saskatchewan is doing is good news because it means that people are actually going to be treated and we can then follow them, monitor them, evaluate them and see how they are doing. It’s good news that way.”
Saskatchewan has the highest rate of MS among the provinces, with an estimated 3,500 residents affected by it. The treatment though is “controversial”  and “not a cure” said Gregory.
“It may be a treatment but we need to do more research,” he continued. “But people with MS have seen it as a possible cure, they want to get this treatment – they want to get it now – and they can’t, not in Canada. So, they are frustrated, they are angry and I don’t blame them.”
Clinical trials of the liberation procedure could begin in 2011 in Saskatchewan with a successful proposal. How much provincial funding might be required for a clinical trial to begin is unknown.
“We are hoping that at some point  the Alberta government and indeed every provincial government will put forward a clinical trial so that people all over Canada can have access to this treatment,” said Gregory.
“Even though we don’t know for sure yet whether it’s going to help people or not, hope is a pretty important thing when you have MS. If it offers people hope,  that is a positive news story. We are glad to see that Saskatchewan has done this.”