MS Society partners in CCSVI clinical trial

September 28, 2012 – Halifax – The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada welcomes the federal government’s announcement that the Phase I/II clinical trial for chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) has received the necessary medical and ethical approvals required to proceed. The national MS clinical trial is a collaborative initiative between the Government of Canada, provinces and territories, and the MS Society.

In September 2010, the MS Society committed funding towards the financial cost of a clinical trial to support a pan-Canadian interventional clinical trial on CCSVI and MS.

The clinical trial will be led by Dr. Anthony Traboulsee of the UBC Hospital MS Clinic and his collaborators. Dr. Traboulsee and his team received ethics approvals from institutions in British Columbia and Quebec to study the safety of venous angioplasty and gather information on patient outcomes. Ethics approval is still ongoing in Manitoba.

“We are excited that the clinical trial is underway and that MS is being recognized as a top-priority health issue that is meaningful to Canadians,” says Yves Savoie, president and CEO of the MS Society of Canada. “The research of Dr. Traboulsee and his team will provide significant insights to those living with MS and provide answers to the many questions that exist around CCSVI and MS.”

According to the announcement, participant recruitment for the trials will start by November 1, 2012.

“When it comes to my health, I have a lot of questions and I want all the information possible – I am hopeful that this clinical trial will help me answer some of the questions my family and I have about CCSVI,” says Theresa Denham who has been diagnosed with MS for 22 years.

For more information about the seven CCSVI studies funded by the MS Society and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society please visit https://mssociety.ca/research-news/chronic-cerebro....