WASHINGTON, DC - Energy and Commerce Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-OR), Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Republican Leader Brett Guthrie (R-KY), and Health Subcommittee Republican Leader Michael Burgess M.D. (R-TX) sent a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation Brenda Destro, Director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Robert R. Redfield, M.D, and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director of National Institute on Aging Richard J. Hodes, M.D. today requesting a response on what each respective agency is doing to advance Alzheimer’s Disease treatments and cures.
“We write to request information about the actions that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has taken to cultivate innovation in Alzheimer’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Dementias (AD/ADRD or Alzheimer’s) research, as well as barriers that stand in the way of discovering treatments or cures for AD/ADRD, and the ways in which Congress can assist in overcoming such barriers," Walden, Guthrie, and Burgess wrote in their letters.
Walden, Guthrie, and Burgess detail Congressional efforts to promote research into Alzheimer’s Disease in the letter. The National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA) created the National Alzheimer’s Project to combat the disease through diagnosis, treatment, and research. Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act further expanded efforts to combat the disease. Congress annually appropriates money for Alzheimer’s research, reaching billions in total funding.
However, despite legislation and funding, Alzheimer’s Disease is one of the top 10 causes of death in the United States and the only disease in the top 10 that has no cure or treatment and cannot be slowed.
“Finding a cure or effective treatment for AD/ADRD will continue to require an all-hands-on-deck approach," Walden, Guthrie and Burgess continued.
