Print“With the aging of the U.S. population, the number of people with Alzheimer’s disease could more than double by 2050.”
The Obama administration said it would immediately make an additional $50 million available for cutting-edge Alzheimer’s research, an announcement that comes on the heels of a draft national plan to combat the disease that set the audacious goal of having a means to effectively treat or prevent Alzheimer’s disease by 2025.The additional funding will support both basic and clinical research. Investments will include research to identify genes that increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and testing of therapies in individuals at the highest risk for the disease. The funds will also be used to expand efforts to move new therapeutic approaches into clinical trials and to develop better databases to assess the nation’s burden of cognitive impairment and dementia. The funding for the fiscal 2013 budget also includes an additional $26 million in caregiver support, provider education, public awareness and improvements in data infrastructure.
The increased funding follows President Barack Obama’s signing in January 2011 of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act, which calls for an aggressive and coordinated national Alzheimer’s disease plan. The Act established an Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research, Care, and Services, which brings together experts on Alzheimer’s disease to help develop the national plan.
As many as 5.1 million Americans currently suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive neurodegenerative condition for which there is no way to cure, prevent, or slow its progression. With the aging of the U.S. population, the number of people with Alzheimer’s disease could more than double by 2050.
“Today’s announcement reflects this administration’s commitment to confronting Alzheimer’s, a disease that takes a devastating toll on millions of Americans,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “We can’t wait to act; reducing the burden of Alzheimer’s disease on patients and their families is an urgent national priority.”
The Administration’s efforts to carve out funds for Alzheimer’s disease comes at a time when research advocates are bracing for a difficult fight in Washington over research funding in the face of pressures to reduce deficits.
“We’re racing against the clock to advance a solution to this crisis from both cure and care standpoints,” say Eric Hall, Alzheimer’s Foundation of America president and CEO, and a member of the Advisory Council on Research, Care and Services, which is advising on the national Alzheimer’s plan. “Our aging population can’t wait any longer. It is imperative that we continue to focus on the bigger picture and move toward our goal to defeat Alzheimer’s disease and provide vital support to families. This type of investment is critical so that it doesn’t cost the government, as well as families, more in the long run.”
February 10, 2012
http://www.burrillreport.com/article-obama_administration_boosts_alzheimer%e2%80%99s_research_spending.html
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