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Stem cell transplant 'game changer' for MS patients
Doctors say a stem cell transplant could be a "game changer" for many patients with multiple sclerosis. Results from an international trial show that it was able to stop the disease and improve symptoms. It involves wiping out a patient's immune system using cancer drugs and then rebooting it with a stem cell transplant.
Louise Willetts, 36, from Rotherham, is now symptom-free and told me: "It feels like a miracle." A total of 100,000 people in the UK have MS, which attacks nerves in the brain and spinal cord.
There are just a few problems, however: The experimental procedure is under scrutiny from regulators, the experiment's web site may have overstated the effectiveness of the not-yet-proven treatment, and patients have to foot the bill. Oh, and no one has seen the study yet.
[...] The results reported in the BBC piece are just the preliminary findings. And that leaves a number of questions still unanswered — are these results permanent? What are the risks? Who isn't suited to have their immune system wiped out through aggressive chemo?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also flagged some serious issues in the study's protocol. If that sounds boring and bureaucratic, think of it this way: for a few months, the lead investigator somehow forgot to report a number of nasty side effects of the treatment, including chest infection and the worsening of conditions as diverse as vertigo, narcolepsy, stuttering, and hyperglycemia, among others.
One thing we know for sure? It's real expensive. The BBC noted it cost patients £30,000 ($42,000) to receive the experimental treatment, but biomedical scientist and science writer Paul Knoepfler, who has been following the trial since last year, says it ran some patients between $100,000 and $200,000.
Related: Low Vitamin-D Genes Linked to Multiple Sclerosis
Scientists Identify Potential Inhibitors of Cancer Metastasis and MS
Risky Stem Cell Treatment Reverses MS in 70% of Patients in Small Study
(Score: 2, Interesting) by anubi on Thursday March 22 2018, @06:55AM (8 children)
I'd like to know where they get off charging ones entire family assets to become a human guinea pig? Its experimental medicine.
The unfortunate soul finding themselves in the grip of these "uncurable" maladies - of no fault of their own - are even expected to foot the bill?
All this time, I was thinking this is why we have publicly funded research. Teaching hospitals. And the like.
Trying to place the economic burden on the unlucky to me is a terrible thing to do.
Now if you want liposuction and plastic surgery, those are not medical... they are cosmetic ( unless congential birth defect or the like ).
We desperately need the knowledge and experience gained by treating the afflicted. To me, that alone is worth the price of public funding of medical care.
Although I am sorely against using healthy animals to afflict with a malady then practice trying to cure same, if some unfortunate being becomes unlucky enough to get it, do whatever you can to help that person, and from that learn anything you can. Every patient becomes yet another stepping stone in acquisition of knowledge of how to deal with these things.
What was learned treating any one of us will benefit all of us one way or the other. Even the multibillionaire will benefit from the skills learned by treating a homeless person who had the same problem.
Refusal to treat is tantamount to tossing your lab rat instead of learning what you could from it.
My take is to give everyone the best treatment available, and LEARN. The most precious thing we have is our wisdom and knowledge.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday March 22 2018, @07:05AM (2 children)
FTFY
And if one of these research turn out positive, it is taken by big pharma, tweaked a bit and patented.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 22 2018, @12:16PM (1 child)
Your idea is that people are getting scammed because the gov isnt giving the scammers enough money?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 22 2018, @12:46PM
What a wonderful idea.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday March 22 2018, @07:07AM (4 children)
What about the other way around?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2, Interesting) by anubi on Thursday March 22 2018, @08:10AM (2 children)
<snark>
Hmmm... that's a turnaround! Experiment on the rich guy, learn from his demise, then use what was learned to save the poor guy!
Because the rich guy was the only one who could afford to be the lab rat!
</snark>
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday March 22 2018, @09:05AM (1 child)
I like it. When does it start?
(grin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 22 2018, @11:34AM
Its already being done that way... except for the poor guy part.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday March 22 2018, @05:39PM
Worked for cell phones.