Alzheimer Research Setback; Congressional and President's Budgets to Kill Building Momentum

6/26/2003

From: Scott Treibitz of the Alzheimer's Association, 703-276-2772 x11

WASHINGTON, June 26 -- The following is a statement of the Alzheimer's Association Senior Vice President Stephen McConnell:

Alzheimer research will suffer significant setbacks if the current budget proposals making their way through the House and Senate become law. It is extremely disappointing that the President and Congress have halted the momentum toward ending the growing Alzheimer epidemic, at precisely the moment when research is on the verge of finding a solution.

Reducing our nation's commitment to research means turning our backs on future generations that will suffer from this disease and on a health care system that will crumble unless we divert the coming epidemic. Now more than ever we must mount a successful offensive against Alzheimer's disease before 14 million baby boomers develop Alzheimer's.

The steady investment this country has made in Alzheimer research over the past 20 years is paying off. Science is on the verge of discovering effective treatment and even ways to prevent Alzheimer's disease. Today we now have the ability to better diagnosis Alzheimer's. Scientists have found evidence about genetics and risk factors, opening up exciting, productive avenues of additional research.

A solid research infrastructure is now in place and the paths for further investigation are clear. The missing ingredient is the money needed to realize the scientific opportunities. Only a continued infusion of funds from the federal government will maintain the momentum of current research successes. A failure to invest adequately, as now proposed, will jeopardize over 20 years of valuable scientific work.

Alzheimer's disease affects four million people in the United States. Without a research breakthrough or the development of new treatments in the next few years, up to 14 million baby boomers will be condemned to the death sentence of Alzheimer's disease. For many of these people, the disease process has already begun. If we haven't found a way to slow down or stop that process before the babyboomers start turning 65, it may be too late to save most of them from the disease.

The answer is research. By delaying the onset of Alzheimer's for even five years, we can protect half of the babyboomers now at risk from ever suffering the devastating effects of the disease.

Every day, we see families exhausted emotionally, physically, and financially by Alzheimer's disease. Only by committing more funding and conducting more research will we be able to ease their suffering.