A rare aggressive variant of MS was diagnosed in Spermon in 20212. “Within three years I was already so disabled that I could no longer stand, walk or even make a living.” At the time, no other treatment was possible in the Netherlands. Spermon started a crowdfunding campaign to fund his stem cell therapy in Uppsala, Sweden. Stem cell therapy is not reimbursed in the Netherlands.
The treatment was successful: Spermon received the news this week after a check-up in the hospital that the MRI scans show no change. “All my tests show that the disease is in remission.”
Inclusion criteria
Spermon describes the fact that Dutch neurologists are now calling for stem cell therapy to be made possible in the Netherlands as better late than never. Still, steps need to be taken to make the treatment accessible. For example, looking at the inclusion criteria, Spermon would still not be eligible for treatment. “First I would have to try heavy medication, and only if that fails, I am eligible for stem cell therapy in the Netherlands.”
Patient choice
Despite steps in the right direction, more needs to be done before patients can be treated properly. Spermon: “Patients should rather be given a choice in terms of treatment method. Suppose you have an aggressive MS variant, then you have to be given a choice between heavy medication and stem cell transplantation.” The patient does not yet have this choice.
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