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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Contentious MS therapy about to be tested
CANADA'S Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq announced Wednesday the federal government will fund a clinical trial for "liberation treatment," an experimental vein therapy for multiple sclerosis developed by an Italian doctor.
The MS Society of Canada, a co-funding partner of the project, said it's "thrilled" by the announcement that may bring "definitive answers" about the controversial treatment developed by Dr. Paolo Zamboni.
The clinical trial for chronic cerebrospinal cenous cnsufficiency in Canadians with multiple sclerosis seeks to determine the safety of venous angioplasty, also known as "liberation treatment" which requires the opening of blocked veins, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research said in a release about the announcement.
Liberation treatment rejects long-held medical opinion that MS is an autoimmune disease. At least two Canadians have reportedly died overseas from complications of the procedure, which is currently unavailable in Canada.
Asked about the controversy surrounding the procedure, MS Society of Canada CEO Yves Savoie said he supports the call of those concerned about the treatment for more rigorous research.
The trial is subject to an ethics approval in Canada in "a way that balances our hunger for innovation and research with respect for dignity of human life," Savoie said.
The government is withholding the names of the researchers and institutions involved in the project "to protect the independence" of the ethics review, according to CIHR, which launched a call for research applications to select the team of researchers.
Canada has among the highest MS rates in the world. There is no known cure, but symptoms may be managed.
-- Postmedia News
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 19, 2012 A11
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Government will support private bill on tougher parole, Nicholson says
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