Clinical Trial To Test If Vitamin D Can Prevent Multiple Sclerosis - Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Information, and resources

By Asian Scientist Newsroom | Tech & Pharma
October 22, 2012

A new clinical trial set to take place in Australia and New Zealand will test whether vitamin D can prevent multiple sclerosis in those at risk of developing the disease.

AsianScientist (Oct. 22, 2012) – A new clinical trial set to take place in Australia and New Zealand will test whether vitamin D can prevent multiple sclerosis (MS) in those at risk of developing the disease.

The trial will focus on the possibility of using vitamin D supplementation to prevent a diagnosis of MS following a person’s presentation with the first symptoms that may lead to a diagnosis of MS. It will also test appropriate dosage levels and safety; information that may eventually lead to an effective prevention strategy for MS.

Tasmania, with the highest incidence of MS in Australia, will play a key role in the trial.

The PrevANZ study was launched recently in Hobart by Hon Julie Collins, the Federal Minister for Community Services, the Status of Women and Indigenous Employment and Economic Development in Australia.

“I’m very pleased to be launching this groundbreaking international clinical trial here in Tasmania,” said Minister Collins. “It is great that Tasmanian patients will not only contribute to this research, but could also be among the first to benefit from its results.”

The study is being funded by MS Research Australia (MSRA), through the support of Australian state-based MS societies, especially from Western Australia, Queensland, and Tasmania.