UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Chairman George Vradenburg today issued the following statement commending the 115th Congress for passing the FY19 Labor-HHS bill with a $425 million funding increase for Alzheimer’s research at the National Institutes of Health: 

"It gives me great satisfaction and a renewed sense of hope that Congress has given this much-needed bump for Alzheimer’s research. With its action, Congress is helping to accelerate an end to Alzheimer’s.

"UsAgainstAlzheimer’s was founded to disrupt the health care system and accelerate a cure. This groundbreaking funding increase marks real progress on this mission. While more is needed, we know that funding Alzheimer’s research is a smart  investment when you consider the annual cost of Alzheimer’s is nearly $300 billion – and growing.

"The Senators and Representatives who have worked tirelessly to push for funding increases are heroes in the Alzheimer’s movement for what they have accomplished after 30 years of flat funding for research. I thank Senators Blunt and Murray and Representatives Cole and DeLauro, and their colleagues, who have boosted funding in recent years by 400 percent, from $450 million to $2.3 billion.  

"Today UsAgainstAlzheimer’s stormed the hill. Advocates, including patients, caregivers, community leaders, and millennials met with members of Congress and their staff to insist on the passage of the CHANGE Act and for increased research funding. And today’s increase demonstrates that the urgency people living with Alzheimer’s, caregivers and researchers are bringing to our movement is having a real impact. Finding ways to prevent, treat and cure Alzheimer’s is essential to protecting the health and economic security of every American."