USAgainstAlzheimer’s: Congress Must Embrace Goal of Stopping Alzheimer’s by 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 13, 2011

CONTACT: KYLE MOLER
202-478-6173, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Obama Administration announced that it would increase Alzheimer’s research funding for FY13 by $80 million, a concrete step in support of its national goal to stop the disease by 2025. This is the first time a Presidential Administration has made a budgetary priority of Alzheimer’s disease, which affects more than 20 million American victims and caregivers and will cost the nation $2 trillion over the next decade.

George Vradenburg, co-founder and chair of USAgainstAlzheimer’s, a national advocacy network and campaign, released the following statement in response to today’s announcement:

“Congress must embrace the national goal of stopping Alzheimer's by 2025 or earlier and support the scale of financing and scope of reforms needed to achieve this goal. The Obama Administration's proposed increase in funding is an important -- yet only a modest -- first step in the fight against the fiscal monster of Alzheimer's. Congress has it within its power the ability to mobilize the resources and adopt reforms, such as those included in the SPRINT Act, that are needed to match the scale of the fiscal and health challenge of Alzheimer's. ‘Business-as-usual’ will not change the trajectory of this disease. Leaders from both parties must join together to support the out-of-the-box innovations needed to save millions of lives and trillions of taxpayer dollars.”

Last week, the Obama Administration also announced that it would devote $50 million in FY12 to the National Institutes of Health for Alzheimer’s research, and $26 million in FY13 to the Department of Health and Human Services for caregiver education, outreach, and support.

Over the past year, USAgainstAlzheimer’s and its advocates have engaged with lawmakers on the issue of Alzheimer’s, and have spoken out in support of the development of an aggressive national plan to stop the disease by 2020. USAgainstAlzheimer’s was also instrumental in the development of the "Spending Reductions through Innovations in Therapies (SPRINT) Agenda Act of 2012,” a landmark, bipartisan bill introduced in Congress earlier this month, which would spur innovation in research and drug development for chronic health conditions like Alzheimer’s.

For more information about USAgainstAlzheimer’s work, or to set up an interview with George Vradenburg, please contact Kyle Molerat .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 202-478-6173.

###

USAgainstAlzheimer’s is a national advocacy campaign and advocacy network committed to stopping Alzheimer’s by 2020. An independent non-profit organization working in partnership with the Alzheimer’s community, USAgainstAlzheimer’s works to advance policies and elect candidates dedicated to stopping the disease by supporting research for a cure. For more information about USAgainstAlzheimer’s, visit http://www.usagainstalzheimers.org/.