Annual General Meeting- notification
Join us for the 52nd AGM of the Wellington Multiple Sclerosis Society, to be held on the
17th May at 7.30pm
Red Cross Rooms, 31 Pretoria Street, Lower Hutt
Sing for MS
With the colder weather approaching, this is a great opportunity to warm up your vocal cords, put your best voice forward, and share the fun with like minded people
Clinical Trial for Potential Treatment of Secondary Progressive MS
Important update…the crtieria has now changed
This is relevant to anyone with Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS);
Who is aged up to 70 years;
-and if you have an Expanded Disability Subscale score (EDSS score) of 6.5. This means that you can walk 20m with bilateral assistance, (so crutches/walker) without rest.
Participants will be compensated for their time and travel expenses
Professor Anne La Flamme and Dr David Abernethy are conducting a clinical trial to examine the use of two medicines, clozapine and risperidone, for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). Clozapine and risperidone are currently used to treat mental illnesses but have been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects in the brain and therefore may also be useful for treating MS. At the dose used in patients with mental illnesses, clozapine and risperidone can have a range of side effects, but research performed in Prof La Flamme’s laboratory has shown that a lower dose may be suitable for treating MS.
This trial will assess the safety and acceptability of treatment with a low dose of clozapine or risperidone in patients with secondary progressive MS by comparing their use to people given a placebo (inactive medicine). The study will also look at whether these medicines can reduce the symptoms of MS, and how they might affect the immune system. This information will help determine if one or both of these medicines should be further developed as a treatment for MS. This would be particularly beneficial to people having secondary progressive MS since there are no alternative treatments currently available.
The study is being run in Wellington and is currently looking for participants who:
§ Have secondary progressive multiple sclerosis
§ Are aged 18 – 55 years
§ Have an expanded disability status score of 3.5 to 6.0
Participating in the study will take 7 months with regular visits to Wellington Hospital for monitoring. Participants will be compensated for their time.
If you would like more information about the study, please download and read the information sheet or contact one of the study investigators:
Prof Anne La Flamme
School of Biological Sciences
Victoria University of Wellington
and Malaghan Institute of Medical Research
E-mail: anne.laflamme@vuw.ac.nz
Dr David Abernethy
Head of Neurology, Wellington Regional Hospital
Capital and Coast District Health Board
E-mail: David.Abernethy@ccdhb.org.nz
Liz Goode
Research Nurse
Wellington Regional Hospital
Capital and Coast District Health Board
(04) 806-0078 (office)
Wellington MS Committee needs you
Question: Whats missing from this chair?
Answer: You!
Wellington MS urgently needs committee members for 2016. We only meet once a month at 5.30pm for 2 hours on Lambton Quay. You dont need to commit to any committee work-we need your voice and ability to advocate for people with Multiple Sclerosis in the Wellington region.
Email carrie@mswellington.org.nz for more info.