By Chloe Elmer
The House Appropriations Committee released a proposed fiscal year 2018 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) funding bill last week, giving Alzheimer’s research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a $400 million funding boost if signed into law.
This bill comes amidst the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference® 2017 (AAIC®) in London this week, where 5,000 of the world’s top Alzheimer’s and dementia researchers gather to network and discuss their research, findings, and theories in relation to Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and other types of cognitive impairment.
Maria C. Carrillo, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer, Medical & Scientific Relations for the Alzheimer’s Association said in an email to colleagues last Wednesday reacting to the bill that “this proposed increase underscores that champions in Congress are committed to advancing Alzheimer’s and dementia research.”
According to a joint press release from the Alzheimer’s Association and the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement, “there are more than 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s and more than 15 million serving as unpaid caregivers. As the most expensive disease in America at an estimated cost of $259 billion annually — including $175 billion in Medicare and Medicaid payments — Alzheimer’s is at risk to break the health care bank.”
The draft of the bill includes $156 billion in discretionary funding with cuts to programming, while targeting investments in research, public health and bio defense. The bill provides NIH with $35.2 billion in funding, $1.8 billion of which would go to Alzheimer’s disease research, which it calls one of “several critical research initiatives.”
The full Committee will take action on the bill soon before putting it through to the Senate.
“My colleagues and I at the Penn Memory Center, and our many collaborators, depend on sustained support for our research and programs dedicated to translating that research into practice,” said Penn Memory Center Co-Director Jason Karlawish. “This support is essential in our nation’s effort to discover better treatments and improve the quality care for patients, their families and the communities where they live. We urge you to call your senators to assure that the will of the House carries on.”