Hello all,

Thank you once more, your support has gone a long way to helping bring notice to the issue of HSCT for Multiple Sclerosis.

I’m happy to say that our petition has been presented to Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

And, we have received a response, also copied by the Prime Minister’s office to the Minister for Health, the Hon Greg Hunt MP, for awareness under that portfolio.

This response tells us:

" ... Evidence is now accumulating to support autologous stem cell transplants as a routine treatment for MS.

Accordingly, the Therapeutic Goods Administration has strengthened the regulation of stem cell treatments to maintain consumer access to established stem cell treatments while protecting consumer safety. Under the current regulations, patients may access autologous stem cell transplants in hospitals, noting that it is up to the hospital to decide the suitability and safety of the treatments offered.

Stem cell treatments can also be accessed through clinical trials, and a number of clinical trials for people with MS are either currently underway or will be recruiting in Australia. Further information about these trials can be found on the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ... "

So, it’s comforting and I think quite significant to read the acknowledgement of evidence accumulating in support of AHSCT – like, it’s not just us willing to accept that (it certainly did seem like that)!

It’s a step in the right direction.

We will continue to speak up about HSCT for MS, and ask you to do the same whenever you can, in pursuit of better life for Australians diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

Thank you, everybody

Colleen