Comment on the statement by Sir Peter Spencer of Action for ME

Margaret Williams 19th April 2011


Attention has been drawn on Co-Cure to the comments of Sir Peter Spencer, CEO of the charity Action for ME, about the PACE Trial (Co-Cure NOT: AfME Policy group strategy in response to PACE; 19th April 2011).

In Action for ME’s Policy group strategy in response to the PACE Trial (5th March 2011), Sir Peter Spencer stated: “The PACE trial would have gone ahead in any event, with or without Action for M.E’s participation”.

This may not be true.

The PACE Trial Identifier states: “Mr Chris Clark, CEO of AfME, will be a member of the TMC (Trial Management Committee) and help with external relations”. (Mr Clark left AfME in 2006 and was replaced by Sir Peter Spencer). The Identifier also states: “Compliance with both the treatments and the study will be maximised by the collaboration and support of AfME”.

In section 6 (“Application History”) the PACE Trial Identifier states at 6.1: “A similar application of a much smaller two arm trial (FATIMA; Grant number G9825745) was submitted in full to the MRC in 1999, rated Alpha B, but not funded.

“The outline proposal of this study (G010039) was approved for a full proposal in October 2001. The major innovations in this application include close collaboration with Action for ME”.

This statement by Professor Peter White indicates that the PACE Trial might not have been funded without the “collaboration” of Action for ME.

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