KI researcher awarded 8.5 million dollar grant for MS study
The researcher Fredrik Piehl at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet has been rewarded a grant of approximately 8,5 million US dollar, from The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, PCORI, USA.
Together with others researchers at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience and in collaboration with other clinical researchers in Sweden and in California, USA, Piehl will be studying the long-term efficacy of different disease-modifying treatments, DMT, for multiple sklerosis, MS.
— There are several existing drugs registered for treatment of MS, but still lacking is knowledge on their long-term efficacy and quality of life,. the latter which by the patients is the single most important factor, says Fredrik Piehl. Moreover, during the latest years we have detected that rituximab, a drug approved for rheumatoid, in comparison to many other MS treatments seems to be a very effective, relatively safe and also very cost-effective treatment also for MS patients. The PCORI grant gives us the means to thorouoghly compare rituximab with other MS treatments thus gaining further evidence on recommended application.
Some 6.000 patients are estimated to be part of the study and about 4.000 will have an annual follow-up during six to nine years. MS is a chronic disease and as of today there is no cure but there are a number of DMT:s that can palliate disease progression and symptoms.
In this specific round of PCORI grant allocation, a total of 35 awards totalling 153 million US dollar was awarded within the areas of chronic pain MS and dpression. The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute is an independent nonprofit, nongovernmental organization located in Washington, DC.