I write to apologise to anybody who was upset or offended by my recent post on AttackMS, which is in support of a trial of natalizumab in people who likely have MS at the time before their diagnosis. Foolishly, I contrasted this with a post on repeated monitoring of people over a thirty-year period, entitled “Same time next year”. This was inappropriate and insensitive and I apologise to anybody past and current who have been involved in this project.
The original post appears to have contained inapproriate comments that seems to have wrongly created concern for individuals about treatement options.
The cited manuscript stated: “As recruitment predated the disease modifying treatment era, the cohort was largely untreated (14% have received a disease modifying therapy (DMT) at any point).”
“the now widespread and early use of DMTs means that analyses are likely to confounded by treatment effects”.
There is nothing to suggest that people were not treated appropriately within the National Institute of Clinical Excellence guidelines in place at the time. According to published information treatment was offered when it became available in the United Kingdom, many years after study initiation.
“To be very clear the intention of the post was not recommending that any person with MS and/or study subjects attending any Hospital should change their treatment plans”.
“I wholeheartedly retract anything that could be construed to suggest position.Treatment plans are an issue for the individual person with MS and their health care teams”.
“If people reading the post got these wrong impressions, which were not intended, I apologise to them and to their neurologists , treating physicians and their MS nurses”.
Nothing should be implied to suggest that people received anything other than excellent care then and now.
I will not try to justify my words and must ask what I was thinking when they were written. But I simply say “I am sorry”. If this accepted you may see me again.
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