Obama Administration Pledges $156 Million for Alzheimer's Research And Care

February 8, 2012--Research to investigate the genetic underpinnings of the disease and to test drugs that may arrest its development will get an immediate $50 million boost. Reports from newspapers across the country explore aspects of the funding.

Bloomberg: U.S. To Boost Funding For Alzheimer’s Research By $50 Million This Year
The Obama administration is boosting funding for Alzheimer’s research by $50 million this year to further investigate the genetic underpinnings of the disease and test drugs that may arrest its development.  About 5.1 million Americans suffer from the condition and caseloads are expected to double by 2050, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The cause of the degenerative condition is unknown and there is no cure (Wayne, 2/7).

National Journal: NIH To Get More Alzheimer's Funding
The Obama administration wants to add $80 million in spending on Alzheimer’s research next year, bringing the total to $530 million a year in the hopes of heading off what doctors say will be an avalanche of dementia in the coming decades. President Obama will request $80 million in new research funding in his budget for fiscal 2013, and the National Institutes of Health will immediately direct an additional $50 million to Alzheimer's research this year, said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "We can't wait to confront the growing threat that Alzheimer's disease poses to American families, and to our nation as a whole," Sebelius said at a news conference (Quinton, 2/7).

Kaiser Health News: Capsules: Alzheimer's Research Gets Funding Boost
The Obama administration announced plans Tuesday for a two-year, $156 million cash infusion for Alzheimer's research and care. The money will help solidify a still-developing national plan to better treat and even prevent the illness by 2025 (Torres, 2/7).

CQ HealthBeat: Sebelius Unveils Investments And Proposals For Alzheimer's Research
The Obama administration on Tuesday announced a new financial investment in fighting Alzheimer's disease, including $50 million right away for research and $80 million to be included in the proposed 2013 budget for the National Institutes of Health. Beyond the $50 million for research, the administration will reprogram $26 million from the current federal budget to be used for education and outreach, support for patients and their caregivers, and improved data and collection, as work continues on development of a national plan to combat the disease (Norman, 2/7).

Boston Globe: Obama Administration Pledges $156 Million For Alzheimer's Research And Care
Representative Edward Markey applauded the Obama administration's announcement this morning that it would pledge $156 million for Alzheimer's research and care, a progressive, irreversible brain disorder afflicting approximately 5.1 million Americans. The announcement, Markey said, "heralds vital progress in our nation's commitment to curing this devastating disease." In January of 2011, Obama signed the National Alzheimer's Project Act, which calls for an aggressive and coordinated national Alzheimer's disease plan. Markey, Democrat of Malden, wrote the bill (Jan, 2/7).

CNN: Obama To Boost Alzheimer's Research Funding
The Obama administration will push for a $156 million increase in funding for Alzheimer's research over the next two years, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday. The National Institutes of Health will commit another $50 million in funding this year, and the White House will propose an additional $80 million as part of President Barack Obama's budget proposal for the next fiscal year. The new research funding will help support both basic and clinical research designed in part to improve therapy and identify genes associated with a heightened risk of the disease (Silverleib, 2/7).

CBS: Alzheimer's Research In U.S. Gets Extra $50 Million In Funding
Alzheimer's disease research is set to get a big cash influx from U.S. government. The National Institutes of Health announced Tuesday it would immediately devote an extra $50 million to dementia research, as part of the Obama administration's plan to develop an effective treatment for the disease by 2025. The Obama administration wants spending on Alzheimer's disease research to surpass half a billion dollars next year as part of its two-par plan (currently it spends $450 million on the research.) The boost opens up the possibility that at least one stalled study of a possible therapy might get to start soon. Next week, President Barack Obama will also ask Congress for $80 million in new money to spend for Alzheimer's research in 2013 (2/7).