Unproven Goat Serum Treatment Under The Microscope

Main Category: Multiple Sclerosis
Article Date: 20 Jun 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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The Guardian today looks into concerns raised by the MS Society about the promotion and sale of Aimspro - a treatment derived from goat serum that is currently available on a specials licence to people with MS who are prepared to pay for it.

Today's Guardian story, 'On sale in the UK: unproven goats' blood treatment for MS patients' focuses on the ways in which the drug has continued to be promoted and sold to people affected by MS, despite a lack of any trial data supporting its safety and efficacy.

MS Society chief executive Simon Gillespie said: "The MS Society has been calling on Daval International, who make Aimspro, to put it through proper trials for more than two years. During that period, hundreds of people with MS have been paying to use the treatment.

"The safety of this product for human use has not been proven, and there is a distinct lack of evidence for its effectiveness. Without rigorous proof of safety in clinical trials, no drug can be approved for sale by the regulators. The need to prove safety and efficay in clinical trials before bringing a drug to market has been circumvented and Aimspro is being sold direct to hundreds of people with MS as a safe and effective drug.

"We are particularly concerned that people with severe MS - who have few or no alternative options - are being urged to run up debt to pay for something that has not been proven to work. This is simply not acceptable."

A charity, Proventus, has been holding 'roadshows' throughout this time advocating the use of the drug. MS Society members have attended a number of these and raised concerns with the Society about the tone and content, which were borne out when our research team attended sessions to see for themselves.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has been aware of the MS Society's concerns for two years and has confirmed that Daval are under investigation, but has so far not taken any action.

Simon added: "We would like to see the regulator take some action."

National Multiple Sclerosis Society

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