All I am delighted to report that the Australian Government through its National Blood Authority has approved the supply of IVIg for SCLS patients on a nationwide basis. The approval is in the "exceptional" category which requires an annual review for continued use but this is a major breakthrough. I believe this is another significant step in establishing recognition of IVIg as an effective treatment for SCLS. I would particularly like to recognise The Canberra Hospital and Dr Katrina Randall who developed the formal submission to Government for approval and of course Arturo, the NIH and all other people who have established data on the use of IVIg. It was this material that we used for our submission. Further details on the approval can be found at http://www.nba.gov.au/.

This is a wonderful initiative and achievement on your part, Warren! It should inspire us all to try doing likewise in our own countries. And I bet it will not only make it easier for any other patients in Australia to gain approval for a therapy with IVIG, but also for patients in New Zealand and elsewhere in the Commonwealth -- and beyond. We also all need to push our respective doctors and medical establishments to: (1) start listing SCLS in national databases of rare diseases, if they aren't listed as of yet; (2) provide descriptions of the syndrome so that whatever few cases there are will be diagnosed earlier on; (3) make episode-management information available, so that ER and ICU staff will know how to increase patient survival and minimize damage to limbs and organs; (4) make mention of known therapies to prevent episodes, including infusions of IVIG, of course; and (5) provide contact names and information of physicians at home and abroad who have treated patients with SCLS, so they may be consulted as needed.