I am told through the Cere-120 patient/participant-grapevine that the shammed group is being asked back into the trial protocol for ongoing evaluation. To my knowledge, they were released after the trial ended and the December 2008 results were released. Only those of us who received the actual treatment were to be followed for life.

Why are they really being called back into eval, especially is they are unblinded to Ceregene?
Were they unblinded upon release?
Were they actually released back in 2008 or early 2009, or at their individual 18-month post surgery date? The last surgical patient would have hit 18-months in April 2009.

I am told through the grapevine that they are being "recalled" at the two-year mark the treated participants (me included) are showing improvement on the trial measurement...the UPDRS.

My two-year eval is in late June. At two-years we have another MRI.

I have emailed my Trial Coordinator to confirm comments I have heard, but I have not yet heard back from her.

I did note that the above press release also says, "the 30 subjects who continued to be evaluated under double-blind conditions"...I was under the understanding that we were ALL unblinded at the end of the trial period of 12-months. We do continue to have a Blinded Rater, maybe this should have been my indicator...hummm. Or maybe the fact that my hotel reservations are not in my name, but in Ceregene's name should have been my hint.