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Alzheimer’s Research Funding Receives Bipartisan Support in House

Alzheimer’s Research Funding Receives Bipartisan Support in House
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July 13, 2016
Email: media@alz.org
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Today, the House Appropriations Committee approved an additional $350 million for Alzheimer’s disease research. The Alzheimer’s Association, the leading advocate for federal Alzheimer’s disease research funding and caregiver support, and its advocates applaud the bipartisan action of the House Appropriations Committee to approve a significant increase for Alzheimer’s disease research funding at the NIH.

“For years, federal Alzheimer’s disease research funding has lagged far behind the $2 billion a year that leading experts say is necessary if we are to prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer’s disease by 2025,” said Harry Johns, Alzheimer’s Association president and CEO. “Now, because of the bipartisan leadership shown by the House Appropriations Committee both this year and last year, the millions of American families facing Alzheimer’s disease have new hope that effective treatments may finally arrive for this devastating disease.”

Increasing Alzheimer’s disease research funding at the NIH has been a longstanding legislative priority for the Alzheimer’s Association and its relentless advocates. Most recently, in April 2016, more than 1,200 Alzheimer’s Association advocates were in Washington, D.C., to meet with their elected officials during the 28th Annual Alzheimer’s Association Advocacy Forum. During the Forum, and throughout the year in their district offices, Alzheimer’s Association advocates shared their stories and requested a substantial increase in research funding for Alzheimer’s. 

“With soaring prevalence, lack of treatment, and enormous costs, Alzheimer’s disease is a crippling triple threat unlike any other disease,” said Robert Egge, Alzheimer’s Association chief public policy officer. “In order for us to change the current trajectory of the disease so that we can save lives and money, we need consistent and meaningful investments in Alzheimer’s research from the federal government.”

Today, more than 5 million people are living with the disease, and, without medical breakthroughs, by 2050 this may be as high as 16 million people at a cost of $1.1 trillion per year to Medicare and Medicaid. With the number of Americans living with Alzheimer's set to triple in just over a generation and no way yet to stop or even slow the progression of this fatal disease, research is the only option to one day prevent and effectively treat Alzheimer's.

In June, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a landmark $400 million increase for Alzheimer’s disease research funding. If another step of this magnitude is signed into law, it would mark an important milestone in Alzheimer’s research — bringing us past the halfway mark toward the funding level experts agree is necessary to end this epidemic.

About the Alzheimer's Association

The Alzheimer’s Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Our mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia®. Visit alz.org or call 800.272.3900.

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