MUST READS

A February 10, 2015 UPI article reported on the slow progress of Alzheimer's research and issues with recruiting research volunteers. According to the article, "But Stern says the progress is slow; and it's a problem he says isn't unique to his study. While he and other medical researchers are studying new experimental drugs, other scientists continue to search for the most effective way to recruit volunteers for Alzheimer's drug studies. Their work, too, has been slow to materialize results. Finding enough study participants remains one of the largest impediments to progress in Alzheimer's treatment research…Fear, shame and denial are all emotions that can influence patients facing a recent Alzheimer's diagnosis and the decision of whether to participate in a drug trial…And while more exhaustive but empathetic recruitment tactics may be a winning combination, there's still the ongoing discrepancy (funding and otherwise) between prevention and treatment research."

A February 10, 2015 The Denver Post article profiled Rep. Diana DeGette's (D-CO) work to spur medical innovation through the 21st Century Cures initiative. According to the article, "Is it more effective to reduce regulatory requirements on drug companies and medical researchers? Or should lawmakers increase the funding of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health? The DeGette-Upton initiative seeks to do some of both, but the specifics of that balancing act could prove troubling. Already, Pallone has complained that the effort does not "include any real dollars to fund additional basic research" at NIH. But if Upton and DeGette were to steer more money toward NIH, it could invite opposition from Tea Party conservatives. To underscore the tension, a draft of the bill mentions new NIH funding but does not cite a specific dollar figure, according to aides. Also included: one initiative that would make it easier for medical researchers to share data, and another provision that would create new incentives for drug companies to develop cures for "complex diseases" such as Alzheimer's."

A February 9, 2015 Philly.com article reported that more venture-capital funding is flowing to profitable areas like pain medicine than to R&D for diseases like Alzheimer's. According to the article, "developers of biologics - medicine with living cells - now get 50 percent of venture-capital funding, and that less money is going to novel drug research for diseases with large populations in areas such as diabetes and gastrointestinal, respiratory, and cardiovascular conditions...The BIO study said three times as much venture-capital funding went to companies working on improvements of previously approved pain drugs than for novel drug R&D for Alzheimer's."

CARE

A February 9, 2015 Boston Globe article reported that "Massachusetts regulators appear to be falling short in ensuring that nursing homes follow rules designed to improve care for some of their most vulnerable patients, those with dementia, a Globe review shows." According to the article, "Under state rules, all licensed nursing homes, even those without a special dementia unit, were required by the end of November to complete dementia-specific training for workers who care for residents.Regulators said it was important to mandate the training, because more than half of the state’s 41,000 nursing home residents have some form of dementia…At Adams House, a 49-bed nursing home in Fall River, some staff members have still not received the required training, said chief executive Mike Baldassarre. The company, which has struggled financially, spent about $5,000 on computers and software for training and that does not include overtime pay as some staffers fill in for others during training, Baldassarre said. “We all want to do the right thing,” he said. “It’s like everything else with the state: They give us all these mandates, but none of the resources to do it.” At Birch Manor in Chicopee, owner Kate Parker said she spent $23,000 on the required staff training at her 68-bed facility. But Parker said it is too expensive to undertake other upgrades — adding a fenced-in outdoor courtyard and hiring an activities director — to become a certified dementia unit."

POLICY

A February 9, 2015 The Hill article reported that Democratic Reps. Kathy Castor (FL) and G.K. Butterfield (NC) introduced legislation on Monday that would make funding for the National Institutes of Health no longer subject to the annual congressional budget process. According to the article, "The bill would make the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) medical research funding a non-discretionary program, meaning it wouldn't be part of debates over the federal discretionary spending budget every year. That would make NIH funding treated in the same way as programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid."