WASHINGTON, DC, June 7, 2016—An additional $400 million for Alzheimer’s disease research at the National Institutes of Health became one step closer to reality following a key Senate subcommittee action today.

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies this morning advanced to the full appropriations committee a draft bill that would fund Alzheimer’s disease research at nearly $1.4 billion in fiscal year 2017, $400 million more than the FY 2016 level. The bipartisan action, championed by Committee Chairman Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), follows a $350 million year-over-year bump last year and underscores the leaders’ commitments to Alzheimer’s and dementia. The full Senate Appropriations Committee will take up the bill on Thursday.

UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, which has fervently supported this push for increased funding through multiple advocacy and educational efforts  focused on Congress and the Administration, applauds this recommended  increase in funding and the bi-partisan efforts of Congressional leaders to recognize the urgency needed to defeat this most crippling and costly disease.  

The bill’s funding aligns with the amount UsAgainstAlzheimer’s has advocated for throughout the year, beginning by leading a stakeholder letter to the Office of Management and Budget in early January and through ongoing Congressional advocacy activities both individually and with allies. Key to this effort was an annual sign-on letter to the Appropriations Committee – led by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Mark Warner (D-VA), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Ed Markey (D-MA) and signed by 30 Senators – urging committee members to continue making Alzheimer’s research a priority.

“We are grateful for the leadership of Chairman Blunt and Senator Murray and the actions of the subcommittee, recognizing the unprecedented cost and health impact of Alzheimer’s on Americans today and in the coming years. Our nation – indeed the world – has set a goal of identifying a means of prevention and effective treatment by 2025, and increases in research investment are critical to achieving that goal,” said UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Co-Founder and Chairman George Vradenburg. “We will continue to forge ahead to realize our goal of committing at least 1 percent of the costs of caring for Alzheimer’s to research – now $2.2 billion for research due to the costs to the nation of $226 billion in care. Alzheimer’s is a cancer-size problem and deserves a cancer-size solution.”

Added Vradenburg: “In addition to Chairman Blunt and Ranking Member Murray, we want again to acknowledge several of the committee’s Alzheimer’s champions, including Vice Chairman Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Senators Collins (R-ME), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA). We now look forward to working with the Senate and their House counterparts to ensure this increase is reflected in the final spending package later this year and to move us closer to stopping this dreadful disease.”

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UsAgainstAlzheimer’s (UsA2) is an innovative non-profit organization demanding – and delivering – a solution to Alzheimer’s. Driven by the suffering of millions of families, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s presses for greater urgency from government, industry and the scientific community in the quest for an Alzheimer's cure – accomplishing this through effective leadership, collaborative advocacy, and strategic investments.

Founded in 2010, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s has worked across sectors to: (1) secure the national goal of preventing and effectively treating Alzheimer’s by 2025 and help secure nearly $500 million in additional public funding for Alzheimer’s research over the past few years; (2) drive global efforts that resulted in the leaders of the world’s most powerful nations, the G7 group, to embrace a similar 2025 goal and to call for greater levels of research investment and collaboration; and (3) forge industry commitments to improve efficiencies for an expedited drug discovery and approval process.

Contact: Tim Tassa
Phone: 202-263-2580
Email: [email protected]