Multiple Sclerosis  I again ask that the minister convene her provincial and territorial counterparts and look at how we diagnose and treat CCSVI.

Multiple Sclerosis  Madam Chair, MS societies in Canada and the United States have called their early findings surrounding CCSVI exciting, but they have also said they want more research. We will continue to work with them in terms of providing support to see if this new method is effective or not.

Multiple Sclerosis  On their behalf, I would like to ask the minister how CIHR is mobilizing the research community around CCSVI and MS?

Multiple Sclerosis  The MS Society of Canada and the MS Society in the United States say the following: These new studies are necessary because we don’t yet know whether, or if so how, CCSVI contributes to MS disease activity. We will continue to support these types of research in Canada and we will bring in the international community to respond to this possible new procedure.

Multiple Sclerosis  Madam Chair, the minister herself has mentioned that what is occurring is very promising, but I want to ask whether it is not correct to treat MS and the CCSVI in different functions. Where it indicates there are restrictions in a vein, why should people not have the treatment, as opposed to linking this? If there are benefits for MS, that is perfect.

Multiple Sclerosis  With the research now going on in Canada and around the world, we are getting closer to finding better treatments for MS and hopefully a cure. Scientists are intrigued by the potential links between CCSVI and multiple sclerosis. CIHR welcomes and encourages funding applications from researchers wanting to study this new treatment. We know that good science does not happen overnight. Science demands a measured approach.

Subcommittee on Neurological Disease committee  At the same time, you can treat people with significant disease now. If they have significant CCSVIs demonstrated on an MRV and on a duplex scan, then they should be treated. [Applause]

Subcommittee on Neurological Disease committee  During your presentation, you told us that, in your opinion, the only thing left to do was to sub-categorize the CCSVI patients. Could you expand a little more on that? In your view, what needs to be done and how long could a surgery like that take? Finally, why is it important to sub-categorize the patients?

Subcommittee on Neurological Disease committee  Thank you. Do you have any ethical dilemma in deciding to treat MS patients with CCSVI?

Subcommittee on Neurological Disease committee  I really can't. They're my heroes. I think you should let them be heroes for everybody else. My CCSVI was treated with a balloon angioplasty, a procedure that's done every day of the week. No tests necessary. My left hand came back to me on the OR table. It was numb; I couldn't use it.

Subcommittee on Neurological Disease committee  [Applause] My goal today is to actually show you images of jugular veins in people who have CCSVI. The abnormalities that we see are real. You don't need to be a physician to see them. Correction sometimes makes a difference in the lifestyle of these people. I believe the problem they have is easily treatable, safely treatable, treatable at low cost and at low risk to the patient.

Subcommittee on Neurological Disease committee  The second thing is that many of the patients, in my understanding, and I stand to be corrected, have been continued on their regular medical therapies, many of which are being shown to have an effect on relapsing-remitting that is very similar to that being described for CCSVI. So I think it clouds the picture a little bit, when we....

Subcommittee on Neurological Disease committee  I don't particularly live it myself, and I think it's easier for us who are not living it to say that we need more research on this, but obviously with what has transpired here and the urgency, there is a need for us to move forward and do it in conjunction with a research study. This CCSVI, I believe, would also assist in eliminating some of the stresses on the health care system. In the ones that have currently been done, has the study indicated that there has been less need for medication for those patients?

Subcommittee on Neurological Disease committee  There are 47 countries in the world that recognize CCSVI as a true entity. In terms of the science, Dr. Zamboni did a study. He looked at 65 patients and found that many patients with MS had significant venous anomalies. He treated 65 patients and many of them saw significant improvement in symptoms.

Subcommittee on Neurological Disease committee  Do you think it would be fair for every MS patient across this country to be imaged for CCSVI?