United Kingdom News
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No more 'should': the aim to stop punishing myself for having ME
Have you ever noticed how so many of us beat ourselves up for having this chronic illness, almost as if it is invisible even to us, even as we feel the pain and exhaustion? While we feel the need to not give up and keep a hold of all we can of our lives, I’m becoming aware that I for one often get this fight tangled up with a lot of damaging self-judgement.
SPEECHES FROM THE FRONT LINES OF #MILLIONSMISSING: TASHA & ZARA
FROM THE FRONT LINES OF #MILLIONSMISSING ROUND 2: SPEECHES BY TASHA AND HER DAUGHTER ZARA (AT NYC PROTEST)
Join us in the #isignedfive challenge!
Want a way to raise your voice this #MillionsMissing but don’t know how? Perhaps you’re unable to attend a protest in person, or want to do a little something extra to make a difference. The stopGET petition against graded exercise therapy trials is one of the most vital actions circulating at the moment. With a
A Plea for Decency to White, Chalder & Sharpe
The time for decency in the face of the overwhelming failure of PACE for many has justifiably passed you by, but potential futility aside, I make this appeal regardless. Every day there is a new ME/CFS patient. Today you can spare that patient from harm. You can spare them from being accused of malingering by their own friends and family. You can spare them from wrongful imprisonment in a psychiatric ward. Today you can set ME/CFS research on an expedited path that leads to real treatments and ultimately a cure. End this tragedy now.
Sign the UK and Global Petition: It's time to stop GET trials for ME/CFS
After months of hard work from #MEAction, #MEAction Network UK, and many others including advocates, government officials, lawyers, and PACE experts, a group of concerned global citizens have crafted a petition to the UK government to stop graded exercise therapy trials in ME/CFS. If this petition reaches 10,000 signatures from UK citizens, its content will
QMUL releases the PACE data
Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) has released the PACE data to a patient who requested it under the Freedom of Information Act, as ordered by a recent tribunal, on the last possible day to lodge an appeal against the court’s order. The move follows the publication three days previously of an open letter from
UK: Tribunal Orders Release of Withheld Data
This #MEAction in the UK press release on the PACE trial decision was written by a committed team of patient volunteers, and has resulted in much of the press coverage about this important tribunal decision. You can read the full press release by clicking in the upper right-hand corner of the document below. Incompatible browser?
Lancet rejects scientists’ PACE letter
The Lancet has rejected a letter criticising the PACE trial that it invited from a large group of scientists. This decision was made after its editor discussed the matter with the study’s authors. Professor Vincent Racaniello, who led the letter, described the behaviour of Dr. Richard Horton, editor of The Lancet, as “unprofessional”. Racaniello, with
QMUL “studying” PACE data-release ruling
Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) have issued a statement in response to Tuesday’s tribunal ruling that they must release anonymised PACE trial data to a patient who requested it under the Freedom of Information Act. The data would allow the calculation of main outcome and recovery figures using analyses that were specified in PACE’s
Tribunal orders release of PACE data
A tribunal panel has ordered Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) to release anonymised data from the PACE trial to Mr. Alem Matthees, a patient who requested it. The ruling has important implications for CFS patients both in the UK and worldwide. The David-vs-Goliath outcome represents the first successful attempt to begin to counter the
The UK ME/CFS biobank paves the way for bigger and better research
On ME Awareness day this year, 12th May, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) opened the UK ME/CFS Biobank for business, with blood samples available from 300 patients now, and there will soon be samples for over 200 controls. The ready availability of samples for large numbers of well-characterised patients and controls
Rehmeyer makes statisticians’ “jaws drop” over PACE
Science writer Julie Rehmeyer presented a critique of the PACE trial to North America’s largest gathering of statisticians in Chicago earlier this week. Her talk was titled, “Bad Statistics, Bad Reporting, Bad Impact on Patients: The Story of the PACE trial”. Rehmeyer explained to the 200-strong audience some of the problems with the trial, including