News PCORI Board Approves $83 Million for Research on Multiple Sclerosis, Hepatitis C and Rare Diseases PCORI Board Approves $83 Million for Research on Multiple Sclerosis, Hepatitis C and Rare Diseases by Patricia Silva, PhD | October 6, 2015 Share this article: Share article via email Copy article link The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Board of Governors recently approvedĀ an $83 million grant to support 26 patient-centered, comparative effectiveness clinical research (CER) studies on a range of diseases and patient groups. Two of these grants, totaling $29.5 million, will fund research intoĀ the care of patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), which is considered a major health problem. Grants with a sum of $7.4 millionĀ will support studies on rare diseases in response to PCORI’s offer of a special funding pool to support research on rare conditions, including genetic disorders, non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis and syringomyelia (a neurological condition), among others. The new CER clinical studies on HCV seekĀ to compare the trade-offs of diverse oral antiviral medications regimens and different methodsĀ to improve treatment adherence in those who use injection drugs. “We heard from many peopleāincluding individuals with hepatitis C as well as clinicians who treat them, the pharmaceutical industry, payers and othersāthat with the great promise offered by new antiviral medications, there are also many questions about hepatitis C therapies and care delivery that need to be answered,” said PCORI Executive DirectorĀ Joe Selby, MD, MPH in a news release. “As the availability and use of the new antiviral medications increases, we’re pleased to support patient-centered CER that will help clinical decision makers to make better-informed choices about hepatitis C treatment and care.” The Board has also approved PCORI’s development of support for research on treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) and the long-term use of opioids for people with chronic pain. Four CER studies focused on MS will be funded, namely a study assessing the discontinuation of disease modifying therapies (DMTs) in MS patients, a study on a model to improve patient engagement and data integration with PCORI’s research networks, a study focused on the MS Patient-Powered Research Network (MS-PPRN) iConquerMSā¢ which goal is to advance patient-centered research, and a project centered on the development of a patient-led MS research community. This fall, PCORI will provide more details regarding research in MS care.Ā The CER studies on MS will be granted up to $50 million to investigate the comparative effectiveness of different disease-modifying treatments and whether tele-health could be as effective as standard direct care. Print This Page About the Author Patricia Silva, PhD PatrĆcia holds a PhD in medical microbiology and infectious diseases from the Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands, and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Lisbon, Portugal. Her work in academia was mainly focused on molecular biology and the genetic traits of infectious agents such as viruses and parasites. PatrĆcia earned several travel awards to present her work at international scientific meetings. She is a published author of several peer-reviewed science articles. Tags multiple sclerosis, PCORI
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