|
 |
 |
|
Obama administration announces $156 million to combat Alzheimer's
The Obama administration on Tuesday made $50 million immediately available for Alzheimer's research and $26 million to support caregivers and raise public awareness.
The announcement is part of the White House's "we can't wait" strategy of bypassing the gridlocked Congress and single-handedly tackling national problems ahead of the 2012 election.
The administration also announced that the president's proposed budget for 2103 would boost funding to fight the disease by $80 million, adding up to a 25 percent increase in annual spending on Alzheimer's research. The increased funding is in keeping with the administration's stated goal of eliminating the disease by 2025.
More than 5 million Americans suffer from the debilitating disease, a number that's on track to double by 2050 as the population ages.
Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), sponsor of the National Alzheimer's Project Act that was enacted last year, applauded the announcement.
"The urgency of the Alzheimer's pandemic demands immediate action, and today's announcement … heralds vital progress in our nation's commitment to curing this devastating disease," Markey said. "President Obama signaled this commitment last year when he signed the National Alzheimer's Project Act into law, and HHS has been both thoughtful and aggressive in its development of a national plan."
Markey also used the occasion to press for passage of bipartisan legislation he said would "spur innovation in research and drug development for high-cost, chronic health conditions such as Alzheimer's." The Spending Reductions through Innovations in Therapies (SPRINT) Act was introduced in the House and Senate last week.
