New Legislation Encourages Researchers to Find Breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s Treatment

Though treatment for alzheimer’s and dementia has not been cracked yet, a new legislation may atleast help in funding for research initiatives for Alzheimer’s.

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito Wicker has announced support for legislation to create prize-based incentives that encourage more public-private collaboration in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

One Third Of Newborns In Britain may Develop Dementia: Alzheimer's Research UK
Age is the biggest risk factor for dementia. As the life expectancy increases, the number of people with dementia is likely to increase.

The new act called Ensuring Useful Research Expenditures is Key for Alzheimer’s (EUREKA) will authorize the Director of the National Institute of Health to work with other federal agencies to establish prize challenges to reach research milestones. It will just add another route for breakthroughs in treatment and cure for dementia.

“The EUREKA Act offers an innovative approach to preventing and treating Alzheimer’s, which affects far too many of our families. Through public-private partnerships and leveraging the smartest ideas with research at the National Institutes of Health, we can better understand, identify and eventually cure this devastating disease,” said Wicker.

According to a report released earlier this year, caring for people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias is estimated to cost the United States $226 billion in 2015, with one in five Medicare dollars spent on an Alzheimer’s victim.

Number of Patients Suffering from Alzheimer's Disease Expected to Double by 2030
Asking the same question again and again; loss of short-term memory; forgetting names of relatives; and bad mood swings are all early signs of AD.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) has set a goal of curing Alzheimer’s by 2025. Today, Alzheimer’s is the most expensive disease in America and has a 100 percent fatality rate. Unless a cure is found, treatment costs are expected to grow to an estimated $1.1 trillion by 2050.

“America has always been the home of groundbreaking innovation. We compete to create, build, and make a difference in people’s lives. The ‘EUREKA Act’ seeks to channel this pioneering spirit through competition to help us better understand, detect, and ultimately cure Alzheimer’s disease. Given today’s budget constraints, it is important to find a way to supplement existing funds to further this critical research,” said Wicker.

New Zealand Parliament Passes Health And Safety Bill Despite Rising Controversies
Agriculture is responsible for a large portion of workplace deaths and serious injuries but figures that defined what was high risk deliberately excluded farming.

EUREKA Act prize challenges could focus in a number of areas including:

Identification and validation of Alzheimer’s biomarkers
Development of non-invasive and cost-effective detection and diagnostic tools
Repurposing of existing drugs to address Alzheimer’s disease
Development of new tools and approaches to care for persons with Alzheimer’s disease

Source-Medindia

US Congress Passes Legislation That Bans Abortions After 20 Weeks of Pregnancy
The US House of Congress voted 242 to 184 in favor of the 'Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act', with all but four Democrats opposed and all but four Republicans in favor.