September 6th, 2018 -- UsAgainstAlzheimer’s Chairman George Vradenburg issued the following statement regarding the report by Eli Lilly and Company and Avid Radiopharmaceuticals (a subsidiary of Eli Lilly) that flortaucipir, a Positron Emission Tomography imaging agent, demonstrated positive results in a Phase III clinical trial.

“The report from Eli Lilly and Company and its subsidiary Avid Radiopharmaceuticals that flortaucipir was effective at predicting future Alzheimer’s disease diagnoses is promising. This is a critical development in the fight to accelerate a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.

“New insights about how Tau protein tangles affect the progression of Alzheimer’s disease give hope to people living with Alzheimer’s – and the people who care for them. There is a pathway to a cure, and we will find it. I applaud the participants in the trial for their contribution to accelerating a cure.

“Drug companies like Eli Lilly are not only still in the field seeking new diagnostic tools, treatments and a cure for Alzheimer’s – they are making significant progress. UsAgainstAlzheimer’s and our allies will continue to press drug companies to stick with, and accelerate, this important work.

“This announcement shows how important it is to expand the capacity of the health care system for the day when treatments or cures are discovered. We must urgently elevate brain health by improving the ability of front-line doctors to diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s, enhancing communication between doctors and patients, and increasing capacity in the health care system. This is an important part of accelerating a cure. The Concentrating on High-value Alzheimer’s Needs to Get to an End (CHANGE) Act does just that and we urge Congress to pass the CHANGE Act immediately.”