INSTITUTE: Haukeland University Hospital
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Two physicians at Haukeland University Hospital, Dr.med Øystein Fluge and Professor Olav Mella, have published a study regarding the successful usage of B-cell depletion as therapeutic intervention in CFS/ME. The results from a double blinded clinical trial showed respons in two thirds of the patients. “Our hypothesis is that ME in many patients principally is an immunologic, probably autoimmune, disease”, says Mella. On behalf of Haukeland University Hospital, BTO started commercialisation activities in 2007. These activities include raising funds, securing intellectual property rights, sales and market activities, and international promotion of the discovery.
In 2007 a patient suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome (ME) showed considerable improvement regarding her ME whilst receiving cytotoxic drug treatment for cancer in the lymphatic system, a lymphoma. This set off a research project, the results of which now show various positive results concerning ME patients, and where there are no serious side effects.These results were published in the prestigious journal PLOS One (Public Library of Science) www.plosone.org 19. October 2011.
Massive media coverage – additional funding
In the aftermath of the publication and the extensive national and international media coverage, the discovery has resulted in additional funding to the researchers. The Kavli Trust has allocated substantial funding for lab research, with aim to chart the causes of and possible treatment for the illness. The Minister of Health also announced that the Government has allocated funding to the researchers.
A selection of international media the CFS discovery has been published:
BBC News – New Scientist – Der Spiegel – Fatigatio e.V – Die Welt – Daily Mail – ABC News – News Medical – BioCentury – The Huffington Post – BioWorld International – White House Cronicle – Pharmaceutical Business Review – WebMD – News10NBC – Local12 – News-Medical.net – ME Association’s website – ESME (European Society for ME) – Thirdage.com – Research1st – ME/CFS Australia – ANBI (the official Dutch ME/CFS patient organization) – aerzteblatt.de – ME/CFS Foreningen Danmark – Phoenix Rising
Statements and interviews by opinion leaders
“This is a very important first step. For the first time, a therapeutic study has been conducted with medication that was originally applied to the immune system, and which proved effective for a majority of the patients. We have not seen anything comparable to this.”
Read interview here
Professor Carmen Scheibenbogen, MD
Deputy Director of the Institute of Medical Immunology, Charité University Hospital in Berlin
“The recent study of Drs. Øystein Fluge and Olav Mella demonstrating significant improvement in ME/CFS patients treated with the B cell depleting agent Rituximab is a key study for our field”
Read interview here
Professor Nancy Klimas, MD
Director at the ME/CFS and Gulf War Illness Research Center, and Professor of Medicine at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
“It’s the most encouraging drug result so far in the history of this disease. Although it’s a small trial, it’s produced dramatic results.”
Charles Shepherd, MD
medical adviser to the UK ME Association
Link to mainpage CFS (interviews, pictures and link to media coverage)