Huge Gordon Constituency Support for Motor Neurone Disease Research

Published date : 19 July, 2021

SNP MP for Gordon Constituency, Richard Thomson, has hailed the enormous support for increased Motor Neurone Disease research funding.

In a recent petition on the issue to the House of Commons, Gordon Constituency featured in the top 10 out of over 600 constituencies for support, with 442 of the over 100k from throughout the UK.

Mr Thomson’s colleague, SNP MP Martyn Day, led a debate in Westminster on the petition urging the UK Government to increase targeted research funding for motor neurone disease (MND).

Mr Day echoed petitioners’ calls for new UK Government investment of £50m over 5 years to kickstart a pioneering MND Research Institute.

Motor neurone disease is a terminal and incurable progressive condition. Progression is rapid with one third of people dying within a year of diagnosis.

1 in every 300 people, across all communities, will develop MND in their lifetime and about 200,000 of the current UK population will die of MND unless effective treatments are found. It is diagnosed in 200 Scots every year and more than 1500 people in the UK.

Currently, the only medication available to treat some forms of MND is called Riluzole (or Rilutek) but experts say it has limitations.

Commenting on the issue, Richard Thomson MP said:

“It is not surprising that the petition calling for increased funding for MND research reached over 110,000 signatures - this is an illness that affects thousands of families across Scotland and the UK every year - and given the compassion from folk in Gordon, it is no surprise to see over 400 of those signatures from this constituency.

“Extra MND research funding from the UK Government is much needed to support effective patient treatment and medicines in the hope that a cure for MND can be found soon. This can save lives and the SNP are urging UK Ministers to do all that they can.

“The petitioners from Gordon and across Scotland and the UK, alongside MND charities are working to tackle this disease on a daily basis and they have my support.”

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