UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Chairman George Vradenburg today issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Senate passage of a $425 million increase for Alzheimer’s research funding in the 2019 fiscal year appropriations bill:

“On behalf of the millions of Americans affected by Alzheimer’s, we applaud the Senate for sustaining the momentum in the fight against this disease by increasing research funding at the National Institutes of Health. These much-needed dollars will help researchers better understand Alzheimer’s and accelerate our ability to cure the disease by the 2025 deadline set by our national goal. We especially acknowledge and express our gratitude to Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) for their strong bipartisan leadership to secure this critical funding, and we urge lawmakers to pass this increase into law in the coming months.

“We believe that Alzheimer’s is the second inconvenient truth of the 21st century. Alzheimer's is the century's most fearsome -- and inevitable -- health and social economic threat to the baby boom and future generations, including, in particular, to women and communities of color. Even with this strong commitment from the Senate, greater investment is still needed if we are to deliver meaningful progress in care and treatment to the six million Americans, 50 million globally, living with this disease and their more than 16 million caregivers. In addition to supporting research, we must elevate brain health as an important part of the path to a cure through regular primary care physician assessments of cognitive health -- and early and accurate diagnosis of the cause of any cognitive impairment. The Concentrating on High-value Alzheimer’s Needs to Get to an End (CHANGE) Act, comprehensive legislation aimed at overcoming barriers to a faster cure for Alzheimer’s disease, does just that and we urge Congress to pass the CHANGE Act immediately.

“UsAgainstAlzheimer’s has worked closely with lawmakers to finalize this important budget increase and raise awareness of this public health crisis. We will continue to work tirelessly to overcome barriers to faster cures and better care and to be the CHANGE that is so urgently needed to stop this disease.”