12 September 2007
We received a petition asking:
"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Finance Medical Research in the UK for the condition Fibromyalgia Syndrome."
Details of Petition:
"As a sufferer of F.M.S I would appreciate that the UK research this condition. There are similarities between this and M.E especially the sleep disorder side of things but it goes much further then this. A better understanding of the condition is needed and a goal should be set to try and help sufferers and bring them together to express how it affects their everyday living."
Read the Government’s response
As you may know, relatively little is known about the causes of fibromyalgia. Despite a great deal of commitment on the part of professionals and voluntary organisations, there are still considerable gaps in our knowledge about the diagnosis and treatment of this condition.
The Department of Health (new window) supports research and development of relevance to the NHS in hospitals, general practice and other health care settings. It also funds the NHS Research and Development Programme, which is managed on its behalf by the Medical Research Council (MRC)(new window). The MRC is the main Government agency for research, which receives its funding via the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
Currently, the MRC has no specific research on fibromyalgia, although the basic research that the MRC supports in areas of pain and neurobiology is relevant to developing our understanding of the condition. There is now a Medical Advisory Board attached to the Fibromyalgia All Party Parliamentary Group, and one of its tasks will be to look into research on fibromyalgia.
The MRC does not directly commission research projects or earmark funds for particular research areas. Funds are allocated by a process that requires investigators to submit proposals for rigorous peer review. The MRC always welcomes high quality applications for support into any aspect of human health and these are judged in open competition with other demands on funding. The key factor in deciding whether a proposal is funded or not is the quality of the science and its potential contribution to human health. In addition, the MRC identifies priorities for medical research in a number of ways, including strategic reviews of specific areas of science and by responding to Department of Health priorities.
In August 2003, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) issued a newsletter that was sent to all doctors in England, specifically addressing the problem of fibromyalgia information dissemination. The CMO acknowledges the condition and the extent to which it affects the population. He raises awareness of a leaflet about fibromyalgia, which has now been made available to all GP surgeries throughout the UK. The leaflet offers guidance on the main symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of fibromyalgia together with a brief summary of the current ideas for the underlying pathogenesis.
The Medical Advisory Board of Fibromyalgia Association UK produced the leaflet which is available from the Association’s website at: www.fibromyalgia-associationuk.org (new window). The leaflet preceded a more comprehensive medical pack on the management of fibromyalgia for the multi-disciplinary team, which can also be requested on the website.
You may also be interested in the National Service Framework (NSF) for Long-term Conditions (new window), which was published in March 2005. The NSF has a particular focus on the needs of people with neurological conditions and brain and spinal injury. It tackles some of the generic issues affecting a wide range of people with long-term conditions. Although it does not cover fibromyalgia directly, it is hoped that work to establish standards of service for neurological conditions will have wider application and so benefit people with non-neurological conditions.