Ann: Mesoblast Phase 3 CLBP Trial Completes Enrollment, page-194

This is why trials are necessary, as I keep harping on about.

The vitamin C case is interesting, but use of vitamin C infusions for sepsis has been debated for ages, with some large RCTs showing benefit, and some not. These are randomised studies with proper controls and reasonable numbers of patients (>200). Despite the studies, there's still massive debate and, where I work, we do not use vitamin C infusions in sepsis. I've never seen it used elsewhere tbh.

So the jury is out. And those of you worrying that vitamin C infusions will be a competitor to MSB is wildly amusing tbh. It was an N of 1. Similar to an N of 12 it is virtually meaningless. It means there may be something there, but that guy very likely would have recovered without the vitamin C. Or maybe recovered faster without it. Or maybe it saved his life.

This is all very complex and no one really understands it. There's theories on the mechanism but whether any of that translates into clinical results is guess work.

Hence studies. But even then, with a simple therapy and large studies there are competing groups arguing about efficacy. This is where meta analyses are useful. Studies of studies.

I'm rambling a bit but the crux of this message is don't worry about the vitamin c thing. Hold tight for results to see if MSCs are feasible. And don't be caught off guard when the results come out, whether good or bad.

GLTAH