Yesterday, on June 29, the Canadian government announced that it will be funding a CCSVI clinical trial through CIHR. CIHR has yet to develop the criteria or timelines for the application process, including the amount of funding that will be granted and the number and size of studies that will be funded. As soon as this has been established, CIHR will be putting out a call to research groups across Canada to apply for funding.
MS Society Response: http://mssociety.ca/en/releases/nr_20110629.htm
Q: What does this announcement mean for patients of UBC Hospital MS Clinic?
A: Once the grant application protocol is announced, UBC Hospital MS Clinic researchers and clinicians will review the grant application procedure, at which point they will be able to determine whether or not they will apply to undertake or participate in the trial.
Interventional venous treatment for CCSVI is not available in Canada and is still considered very experimental. Staff and clinicians at UBC Hospital MS Clinic still do not recommended Canadians travel outside the country to seek treatment at this point as we currently do not fully understand the safety implications and effectiveness and sustainability of the procedure.
Q: The UBC Hospital MS Clinic is currently doing one CCSVI related study with Saskatchewan; what is the current status of BC/SASK collaborative CCSVI research study?
A: Researchers are using three diagnostic tests to investigate CCSVI as a medical condition and determine how best to image it. Specifically, researchers are studying both MS patients and healthy controls to better understand the prevalence of abnormal vein activity in both populations. The team is also investigating the use of catheter venography as the "gold standard" to detect CCSVI. Catheter venography is being compared with ultrasound and Magnetic Resonance Imaging to determine which of these tests are adequate and reliable for detecting CCSVI.
The study has been underway at the UBC Hospital MS Clinic and the MS Clinic at Saskatchewan General Hospital for several months. 200 patients have been enrolled. It is the largest comprehensive imaging study of CCSVI that has ever been undertaken. The study concludes December 2011.
Q: What other CCSVI activities is the UBC Hospital MS Clinic involved in?
A: UBC Hospital MS Clinic has launched a new program to better understand the impact of interventional venous treatment. The Clinic has received over $700,000 in provincial funding to establish a CCSVI patient registry, care-related protocols, and a rapid access pathway to expert care for both patients and health care providers. This program has been established to follow British Columbians who have undergone interventional venous treatment oversees in the past 12-18 months.
The provincial funding is spread over three years and allows the UBC Hospital MS Clinic to establish post-care treatment guidelines; a voluntary registry to determine the number of BC residents who have had testing and/or liberation treatment overseas, and the perception of benefits and complications; and a rapid-access to expert care pathway. This key component of the program will enable health care providers across the province to reach one of the experts at the UBC Hospital MS Clinic in situations of need.
http://www.vchri.ca/s/MS-CCSVI-NEWS.asp?ReportID=465186&_Title=CCSVI-Update-Federal-government-to-fund-CCSVI-clinical-trial-through-CIHR