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Canada's New Science Minister Supports a Widely Debunked Medical Treatment

A condition called CCSVI, and the therapy proposed to treat it, are according to many internationally-recognized MS researchers without scientific merit

A Canadian expert in multiple sclerosis research is questioning the credibility of Canada's new minister of science Kirsty Duncan, who has frequently supported what many experts in the field say is a debunked medical procedure for treating the disease.

"It is not imperative that the Minister be a scientist, but it is imperative that the Minister be aware of the difference between good science and bad science," Dr. Jock Murray, former head of Dalhousie University's MS research unit for over 20 years, and member of the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, said in an email.

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As a member of parliament in 2012, Duncan introduced a private member's bill, C-280, calling for Parliament to adopt a national strategy for treating chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency, or CCSVI—a medical condition first theorized by Italian doctor Italian doctor Paolo Zamboni, and which Zamboni linked to the onset of MS.

Duncan has also written several blog posts that appear on her official website in support ofZamboni and CCSVI, and called for funding for clinical trials.

However, Zamboni's theories about CCSVI and the therapy he has proposed are, according to many internationally-recognized MS researchers, without scientific merit. Nevertheless, Duncan has continued to champion the theory, as recently as June.

"Ms. Duncan's role will ensure, among other things, that scientific analyses are considered when the government makes decisions," wrote Dr. Murray. "This would have been a problem if she was in this position when the government was dealing with the pressure on CCSVI, because Duncan chose to ignore the peer-reviewed scientific papers which indicated that CCSVI was not an MS breakthrough."

According to Zamboni's theory, MS is caused by a congestion of blood in the brain caused by congested veins (current established theories attribute MS to a combination of genetic and environmental factors). To treat this congestion, Zamboni proposed a procedure some call "liberation therapy," in which stents or angioplasty balloons are used to open the veins leading from the brain—an operation that is neither approved by Health Canada or the FDA.

Many peer-reviewed studies have found no relationship between CCSVI, liberation therapy, and MS.

"Perhaps if she were to revisit her former comments and championing of CCSVI, as others have done, and would issue a statement to that effect," Dr. Murray said, "she would regain some credibility in the eyes of scientists."

Duncan's office did not reply to repeated requests for comment.