Dr Jeremy Chataway (Source: MS Society)
The biggest ever trial for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) in the UK has begun under UCL research leadership. With around 30 sites across the UK and Ireland, the MS-STAT2 trial will involve 1,180 people with SPMS - a form of the condition that currently has little effective treatment. Co-funded by the MS Society, MS-STAT2 is the final stage trial of the drug treatment simvastatin for SPMS. This Phase 3 study will confirm whether simvastatin could become amongst the first drugs to slow or stop disability progression for this form of the condition, offering new hope to thousands. "Simvastatin is one of the most promising treatment prospects for secondary progressive MS in our lifetime. People with this form of the condition have been waiting decades for a drug that works, which is why there's such excitement around being able to start the trial," said Dr Jeremy Chataway (UCL Institute of Neurology and National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery), who is leading the trial. "While it's still early days, we believe simvastatin could change lives." MS affects over 100,000 people in the UK, and most expect to develop a progressive form of the condition.
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