Release by ME Association regarding the controversial PACE trials:

The MEA and the PACE trials

Contrary to recent reports on the internet that the ME Association did absolutely nothing with members' endorsements of the PACE letter, the following was sent out on behalf of the members of The ME Association on 6th February 2005.

The letter was circulated to all those involved in the funding of the PACE Trials and also to the leaders of all the political parties and many others.

As I thought, the replies were all the same, stating that PACE was up and running and to stop them now would not necessarily mean the money would go to ME/CFS research.

The ME Association is still publicising its stance against the PACE trials and will continue to do so. This was not a chance missed, it was part of an ongoing campaign to discredit the trials and highlight the amount of public money being wasred on them.
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Dear xxxxxx

On behalf of our members, The ME Association calls for the PACE trials to be suspended and the funds involved to be set aside for research into the physical causes of ME/CFS.

Please find attached 351 endorsements from our members and an additional 861 endorsements from others who requested their names be put forward even though this campaign was directed at members only.

We back this call up with the 29,000 plus signatures handed in to 10, Downing Street on May 12th 2004, which were then forwarded to the Department of Health. The Petition called for more research into the physical causes of ME/CFS and less involvement with the psychiatric lobby in future research.

I have taken the liberty of enclosing two editions of our magazine ME Essential where you can read for yourself the two campaign calls.

With a General Election on the horizon, I would like to point out that with an estimated 240,000 + sufferers, their families and carers in Britain, there are in excess of maybe two million or more votes up for grabs, any political party backing our call for a suspension would therefore benefit greatly.

Yours...........

Christine Llewellyn
Chair
The ME Association