UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Praises $350M Increase for NIH Funding for Alzheimer’s Research
| WASHINGTON — UsAgainstAlzheimer’s today issued the following statement from George Vradenburg, chairman and co-founder, on the announcement that Congressional leaders have reached agreement on a $350 million increase in fiscal year 2020 to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for research into Alzheimer’s and dementia. The legislation containing this NIH research funding is expected to be voted on this week by the House and Senate, sending the legislation to President Trump. The legislation, when approved, would increase funding for Alzheimer’s and dementia research to $2.8 billion, a major increase in the past five years. “This $350 million increase is an important investment to power Alzheimer’s research into effective treatment and prevention. We applaud the decisive leadership by Sen. Roy Blunt, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Patty Murray, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Rep. Tom Cole and Rep. Rosa DeLauro that led to this increased funding for Alzheimer’s research. “Alzheimer’s is the greatest public health crisis to our society in this century. It affects 5.8 million Americans and their 16 million caregivers today, and if nothing changes, the number of Americans with Alzheimer’s will balloon to 14 million by 2050,” he went on. “The economic costs are an incredible burden on our nation. The emotional and social costs on patients, families, and caregivers are incalculable, with an estimated 500,000 deaths a year from this disease. “Increased research funding is the key to help and hope for patients and caregivers, and we urge quick approval of this legislation by the House and Senate to continue to expand critically needed Alzheimer’s research funding,” Vradenburg continued. “After years of disappointment in drug development efforts, Alzheimer’s research may be on the verge of important breakthroughs. A promising therapy is expected to be submitted for FDA approval in 2020 and other drugs are moving through the development and regulatory pipeline to treat Alzheimer’s or its symptoms.” |