MS Trial Featured in the Scotsman

The groundbreaking MS-STAT2 trial led by Dr Peter Connick, Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic, was recently featured in the Scotsman. It is the largest ever trial for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis and aims to confirm whether the drug simvastatin could become one of the first drugs to slow or stop the disability’s progression – offering hope to thousands of people living with the condition. The trial will take place over 6 years and is a double-blind randomised control trial, so patients do not know if they are taking the drug or a placebo. 

In Scotland, the current active recruitment site for the trial is in Edinburgh at the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic within the University of Edinburgh. The Clinic is hoping to recruit 90 people with secondary progressive MS for the trial (1000 people are looking to be recruited to the trial in total). Anyone interested in participating can find out more atwww.annerowlingclinic.com/ms-stat2 or register an interest through the main trial website:www.ms-stat2.info It is expected that 30 sites across the UK and Ireland will recruit patients to the trial in 2019. 

Dr Peter Connick said, “We are delighted to be participating in this major clinical trial that aims to change the treatment landscape for people with secondary progressive MS. Developing treatments to slow, stop, or reverse disease progression in MS is the number one priority for both patients and the research community, so it is exciting to be part of clinical research that aims to achieve this ambitious goal.”

The trial is funded by the MS Society, and partners including the National Institute of Health.