Estevan MLA Doreen Eagles says she is "very proud" that the provincial government has stepped forward to back clinical trials for the multiple sclerosis (MS) liberation treatment.

The government announced on October 19 that they are committing $5 million for the trials. The Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) will develop a call for the trials, and provide the scientific, ethical and financial expertise to manage this initiative on behalf of the government.

Saskatchewan is the first province to move forward on initiating trials of the liberation treatment.

Eagles said she has been receiving calls for nearly a year from people seeking provincial support for liberation treatment research. Some callers were MS patients; others were friends and family of people with MS.

"They've been talking about the liberation treatment, and how they have had to fly elsewhere in the world for these treatments," said Eagles. "It's hard on the patients because they are suffering from this horrible disease, and it's also a financial burden for them."

Several people from her constituency have seen results from the liberation treatment, Eagles said.

"When you put yourself in their shoes, and you hear about the suffering that they had, and how they feel they have progressed with this liberation treatment, I feel I have to support it," Eagles said.

She cautioned that Saskatchewan people have to be patient. People with MS are anxious, she said, but there is a balance that has to be struck between patient needs and the time needed for what she called "sound, scientific processes."

The SHRF will initiate the development of a competitive process that will invite research proposals. The first step will be two-fold: to establish an expert advisory panel drawn from Saskatchewan and other jurisdictions; and to begin developing the call for proposal documents.

The advisory panel will be convened in early November, with an expedited call for proposals occurring in early December. It is expected that the successful recipient will be chosen in early 2011, and a process leading to clinical trials will be announced by April of 2011.