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In the news - April 2007

Way Ahead 2007;11(2):3
  1. Netherlands bans private stem cell therapy
  2. Free prescription charges to be introduced in Wales
  3. Chocolate cannabis trio found guilty but spared jail
  4. Mitoxantrone in early pregnancy

Netherlands bans private stem cell therapy

Commercial stem cell clinics offering unproven treatments have been banned in the Netherlands. Whilst recognising the promise offered by legitimate stem cell research, the Dutch Ministry of Health said that it was concerned that "centres in the Netherlands are offering this form of treatment as if it is common practice" while in fact it is in the early stages of development. A number of British people with MS have travelled to clinics such as Preventive Medical Clinic (PMC) in Rotterdam and Cells4health in Zutphen. PMC was ordered to stop offering the treatment in October 2006 after it was unable to satisfy the healthcare inspectorate of the quality and safety of the cells it was using. The regulation, which came into effect on 1 January, means a licence will be required for experimental stem cell transplantation within the context of the strict laws on medical scientific research.

The UK"s General Medical Council (GMC) have announced that Dr Robert Trossel, who was offering treatment at the PMC Clinic and is registered to practice in the UK as well as Holland, is currently under investigation. A number of conditions have been imposed on his registration until July 2008, including "He must not be involved in the carrying out, or the management, promotion or supervision of any medical treatment involving stem cells, save as part of a properly authorised research trial carried out in accordance with Good Medical Practice."

Meanwhile, a recent BBC Newsnight report alleged that a clinic that was shut down by the Dutch authorities may have re-emerged in Antwerp in Belgium.

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Free prescription charges to be introduced in Wales

Following a vote in the Welsh Assembly, free prescription charges will be introduced in Wales from 1 April, 2007. Charges were frozen at £6 per item in 2001 and have gradually been reduced to the current charge of £3, compared with £6.65 per item in England and Scotland.

The policy was approved despite concerns expressed by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) that it could lead to drugs going to waste and funding for new medicines being lost. The Welsh Health Minister said that free prescriptions will ensure that people are not put off getting medication they need due to cost, it is hoped it will particularly benefit those with a chronic illness who were not previously eligible for free prescriptions under the current exemption system, which includes people with MS.

Those entitled to free prescriptions are people registered with a Welsh GP, or Welsh patients who have an English GP with an accompanying entitlement card and who get their prescriptions from a Welsh pharmacist.

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Chocolate cannabis trio found guilty but spared jail

Three members of the Therapeutic Help from Cannabis for Multiple Sclerosis (THC4MS) group were convicted in December 2006 on two counts of conspiring to supply cannabis. Mark Gibson and his wife Lezley, who has MS herself, admitted making and posting out thousands of bars of chocolate each containing around 3.5g of cannabis to people with MS to relieve pain. The third defendant, Marcus Davies, admitted running a website and post office box, but denied any involvement in making and sending the chocolate bars. The 'Canna-Biz" bars were supplied free of charge to people with MS who had to provide a medical note confirming their condition, the service relied on voluntary donations. The defence of 'medical necessity' was rejected by the jury. The trio returned to court for sentencing in January 2007 and were each given a nine month jail term, suspended for two years.

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Mitoxantrone in early pregnancy

The first case of exposure to mitoxantrone in the first trimester of pregnancy was recently reported in the journal Neurotoxicology. The 41-year old Italian woman was receiving mitoxantrone therapy for multiple sclerosis when she conceived and she continued to undergo treatment until week 29 of the pregnancy. The baby was delivered by caesarean section at 39 weeks, although it was noted that there had been some growth restriction, there was no evidence of any congenital malformations. Previously there have only been a handful of reports of women exposed to the therapy in late pregnancy.

Source: Neurotoxicology 2006; Oct 20; [Epub ahead of print]

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