Thursday, July 14, 2011 12:16 AM
|
Ken Torbert
1. The Federal Government’s Phase I/II clinical trials of CCSVI 2. The Alberta Multiple Sclerosis Survey 3. The Alberta Multiple Sclerosis Initiative (TAMSI) 4. CCSVI studies funded by the MS Society of Canada and NMSS (US) 1. Phase I/II clinical trials of CCSVI On June 29 the Federal Government announced that it will fund Phase 1/II clinical trials of CCSVI and MS. There is no patient enrolment as yet. The process will be as follows: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) will establish the terms of reference for the clinical trial or trials and issue a request for proposals. No timeline has been issued, as yet. A request for proposals may be issued in late summer or fall. To learn more about clinical trial phases, visit: http://ccsvi.ca/research/explained.html 2. The Alberta Multiple Sclerosis Survey The Alberta Multiple Sclerosis Survey is conducted by the Alberta Health Services’ Measurement and Evaluation Unit on behalf of Alberta Health and Wellness, the department of the Alberta Government responsible for Albertans’ health and wellness. The survey is for both persons with and without multiple sclerosis. The survey was sent to 71,963 residents in Alberta. Survey recipients were selected from the Alberta Healthcare Insurance Plan (AHCIP) Registry database held by Alberta Health and Wellness. It is important that only the person to whom the survey is addressed complete the survey. If a different person completes the survey, the information will not be usable for the survey. The purpose of the survey is to evaluate and improve the way multiple sclerosis and other diseases are monitored in the province. If you have questions about the survey, call the survey coordinator at Alberta Health and Wellness at 780-415-0219 for local Edmonton and area calls. For toll-free long distance calls, please dial: 310-0000, then dial 780-415-0219. 3. The Alberta Multiple Sclerosis Initiative (TAMSI) The purpose of the TAMSI study is to gather evidence to improve the understanding of treatment for chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI). This survey will begin within the next couple weeks. Please visit mssociety.ca/alberta. We will post a link to the survey as soon as it’s available. This research is needed because many Canadians with MS are leaving Canada to have venous procedures and then returning to Canada for ongoing management. Currently, patient reported symptom changes and complications are not being collected and analyzed systematically. The study is sponsored by Alberta Health and Wellness 4. CCSVI research studies A one-year update on the 7 CCSVI studies funded by the MS Society of Canada and the NMSS (US) will be released within the next few days. Please visit mssociety.ca/alberta. The update will be posted soon. http://mssociety.ca/alberta/pdf/Communications/2011_MS_Update_July11.pdf
|