A LISS woman is among the first to take part in a landmark multiple sclerosis (MS) drug treatment trial.
Lucy Strong (54) is taking part in the biggest ever trial for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) in the UK.
Co-funded by the MS Society, the MS-STAT2 trial is a phase three study, to confirm whether simvastatin could become one of the first drugs to slow or stop disability progression in SPMS, offering new hope to thousands.
The trial involves 1,180 people with SPMS who currently have no effective treatment.
Lucy is being treated at the University College London’s Institute of Neurology. She developed secondary progressive MS about six years ago, after living with the relapsing form of the condition for many years.
Lucy said: “When I heard about the MS-STAT2 trial on television, I jumped at the chance.
“MS is so unpredictable you never know what’s round the corner. The longer you wait the more you might change.
“I used to love gardening but it’s increasingly hard for me – my mobility is suffering and I have to use a wheelchair to move anything other than short distances.
“If this treatment works, it could change my future.”
MS affects more than 100,000 people in the UK, and it causes problems with how sufferers walk, move, see, think, and feel.
The multi-million pound trial is being funded by the MS Society in collaboration with the National Institute for Health Research, the National MS Society (US), the NHS and UK universities.
Nearly 30 sites all around the UK and the Republic of Ireland are recruiting for the trial. Anyone who would like to be considered to participate in MS-STAT2 can register their interest at: www.ms-stat2.info