Letter from Leona

January 20, 2011

Letter from Leona

Minister of Health

Ministre de La Sante

Ottawa, Canada K1A 0K9

JAN 20, 2011

Ms. Karen Copeland

Dear Ms. Copeland:

Thank you for your correspondence of December 8, 9, 10, 12 and 20, 2010, as well as

January 4, 2011, co-addressed to the Honourable Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and

Long-Term Care of Ontario, concerning chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency

(CCSVI) and multiple sclerosis (MS).

I recognize the toll MS takes and the significant challenges faced by patients, their families and friends. I have been closely following the reports surrounding Dr. Paulo Zamboni’s proposal for a new treatment for MS based on the hypothesis that the disease may be linked to CCSVI.

My provincial and territorial counterparts and I have agreed that fully funded therapeutic clinical trials on Dr. Zamboni’s angioplasty procedure will happen in Canada if and when the research supports this action.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research has established a Scientific Expert Working Group to review evidence and advise on a clinical trial. Several diagnostic trials are now under way to establish whether there is a link between CCSVI and MS, and to instruct the development of a possible treatment trial. We are seeking clarity from these studies about the definition and nature of venous blockage, and a reliable, standardized diagnostic approach. Additional information is available at httn:/Iwv.iw.cihr-irsc.gc.ca. We hope to have preliminary results for these studies in a matter of months.

The Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario regulates the practice of medicine to protect and serve the public interest and investigates complaints against doctors who may have committed an act of professional misconduct or incompetence. You may wish to contact the College by e-mail at feedback@ctso.on.ca.

Thank you for writing.

Sincerely,

Leona Aglukkak

cc. The Honourable Deb Matthews, M.P.P.

Personally, I doubt very much if she has any idea what toll MS/CCSVI has on us.

"in a Matter of months" is , of course, open to interpretation. I often tell people I am 25 years old and a few months - that few is whatever it takes to add up to 65 years old lol. The point is that it could mean anything at all. I would suggest that everyone write and tell her to be more specific. I know I will.

I also wonder if her last paragraph is not an invitation to complain to The College of Physicians and Surgeons about our MS neurologists and their propensity for prescribing (pushing) useless, expensive drugs on scared and desperate MS victims.