USA2 SPOTLIGHT 

A December 11, 2015 Parade interview with Loni Anderson highlighted her work with UsAgainstAlzheimer’s. According to the Anderson, “I’ve been doing a play to help raise funds for Alzheimer’s research, Surviving Grace, with Marylu Henner, among others, and written byTrish Vradenburg. We’ve done it in several cities. At this point in my life, I feel it’s more important than ever to give back.”

A December 10, 2015 The Hill opinion piece by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s patient advocate Greg O’Brien called on policymakers to “slay Alzheimer’s.” According to the article, “This could be your story some day or the story of a loved one. Please don’t assume it won’t. There are more than five million Americans living today with Alzheimer’s, a number expected to triple by 2050 at an annual cost of care expected to exceed $1 trillion, far more than cancer and heart disease, now on the decline…We will need every penny to slow the pace of Alzheimer’s. So as we approach the shortest day, let us collectively shed more light on this demon prowling like Abaddon, and give us all something to celebrate.”

A December 10, 2015 SmartBrief article highlighted LatinosAgainstAlzheimer’s patient advocate Daisy Duarte’s opinion piece in the Kansas City Star. According to the article, “Daisy Duarte carries a genetic mutation that increases the likelihood she will develop early-onset Alzheimer's disease, which her mother was diagnosed with at age 57. Duarte is now one of the few Latinas participating in an Alzheimer's disease clinical trial and has stepped up as an advocate for more research funding. ‘[S]ignificant federal research investments in HIV, stroke and heart disease have saved lives and reduced overall health care costs. But a similar investment has not been made in Alzheimer's and we're paying for it in the lives of our loved ones,’ Duarte writes.”

MUST READS

A December 10, 2015 The San Diego Union-Tribune article reported that “A novel way of crossing the blood-brain barrier has been identified by Genentech scientists, potentially expanding the avenues for delivering antibodies into the brain.” According to the article, “Genentech scientists say such an approach could be used for Alzheimer's therapy. Contrary to previous belief, the blood-brain barrier is largely intact in Alzheimer's disease, the scientists say, which makes delivering antibodies a challenging task.”

A December 10, 2015 Time.com article highlighted one daughter’s efforts to protect her father’s legacy and finances in the face of dementia. According to the article, ‘Theodore was diagnosed with Lewy Body dementia, the most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s (and the same disease from which the comedian Robin Williams suffered at the time of his death). “My dad was a chemical engineer, a very intelligent man,’ says Theresa. ‘Now there are times when I am not sure he knows who I am.’”

A December 10, 2015 The Wall Street Journal opinion piece by Michael Mandel highlighted the pharmaceutical industry’s role in advancing health outcomes. According to Mandel, “It’s important for policy makers to understand that innovative medicines bring down long-term costs by reducing the amount of labor needed by the health-care system. For example, the new drugs that treat and cure hepatitis C will, over time, reduce the number of labor-intensive and extremely costly liver transplants, each of which costs on average more than half a million dollars. And new cholesterol-lowering drugs called PCSK9 inhibitors will reduce the number of doctors, nurses and support workers needed to deal with cardiovascular diseases, which are today the single most costly diagnostic group, driving roughly eight million inpatient operations and procedures a year.”

A December 8, 2015 The Atlantic article reported on renewed momentum for increasing NIH funding. According to the article, “Advocates like White think members of Congress have, quite simply, shifted their priorities. White said the 2013 shutdown over Obamacare was a turning point in the NIH budget question. ‘I think that’s when people of all persuasions started to realize that not only were there some government functions that were absolutely worth supporting and keeping open,’ White said, “but that NIH had first of all been neglected and second of all was something that was worth reinvesting in.” Members of Congress have also been spooked by significant biomedical investments in countries like China, White said, and conservatives in particular are receptive to arguments framing ‘public-health security [as] national security.’”