Posted February 18, 2011
Cure Alzheimer’s Fund applauds recent administration and congressional bipartisan action to help in the fight against Alzheimer’s. Two recent events deserve acknowledgement and recognition.
First is the bipartisan passage of the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) which will raise awareness and focus in the government to address the mounting problem of Alzheimer’s disease. Cure Alzheimer’s Fund in concert with other Alzheimer’s organizations worked hard with sponsor Congressman Markey and many members of both parties in the House and Senate for the passage of this legislation. The Act will establish the National Alzheimer’s Project, reporting directly to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. NAPA provides for a national panel of government and private sector Alzheimer’s experts to develop a national plan to coordinate the country’s approach to research, treatment and caregiving.
Read more in a NY Times article>
Secondly, an effort which calls for the establishment of the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to help develop new drugs. The Idea here is to help “translate” laboratory findings into drug development and therapies. The Center would, as Director of NIH Francis Collins says, “seek ways to leverage science to bring new ideas and materials to the attention of industry by demonstrating their value.
Read more from Francis Collins’ blog>
The New York Times describes the National Center as follows:
“The Obama administration has become so concerned about the slowing pace of new drugs coming out of the pharmaceutical industry that officials have decided to start a billion-dollar government drug development center to help create medicines.”
