USAgainstAlzheimer’s Applauds New Alzheimer’s Research Funding through Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP)
USAgainstAlzheimer’s will seek to advance the research goals of AMP as a member of the initiative’s steering committee
WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced an unprecedented commitment by 10 biopharmaceutical companies and several nonprofits, including USAgainstAlzheimer’s, to pool resources and expertise in order to speed the discovery of drug treatments for Alzheimer’s and a targeted number of other chronic diseases.
Through this new partnership, drug companies will share data with the entire Alzheimer’s community publicly for the first time. AMP partners will also invest $130 million over five years to overcome roadblocks in identifying new Alzheimer’s molecular targets and predictive biomarkers.
As a funder of the partnership and member of the steering committee, USAgainstAlzheimer’s will collaborate with AMP’s members to catalyze breakthrough discoveries in Alzheimer’s biomarkers and medicines. USAgainstAlzheimer’s will also continue its efforts to reform Alzheimer’s clinical trials by removing barriers that slow the speed at which new Alzheimer’s medicines get to those with or at risk of the disease.
George Vradenburg, Chairman and Co-founder of USAgainstAlzheimer’s, released this statement below in response to yesterday’s announcement:
“We applaud Dr. Francis Collins’ continued leadership in the urgent challenge to reveal the scientific mysteries behind Alzheimer’s. Through this new partnership, Dr. Collins and his colleagues at the National Institute of Aging have put in motion a unique and historic pooling of energy and resources to fight this disease.
“With no Alzheimer’s drugs that slow or stop this disease, it is high time that we change ‘business-as-usual’ in the Alzheimer’s discovery world. This partnership adds to the global momentum to ‘fight back’ against Alzheimer’s.
“USAgainstAlzheimer’s looks forward to collaborating with NIH, industry, and fellow advocacy organizations in our race against time to discover new insights into Alzheimer’s disease and how to treat it.
“We remain steadfast in our belief that it will require an ‘all hands on deck’ approach to stop Alzheimer’s, and believe this innovative partnership will bring us one step closer to the day when it is a thing of the past.”
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USAgainstAlzheimer's is an entrepreneurial and disruptive organization demanding a solution to Alzheimer's by 2020. Driven by the suffering of millions of families, USAgainstAlzheimer's presses for greater urgency from government, industry and the scientific community in the quest for an Alzheimer's cure -- accomplishing this through effective leadership, collaborative advocacy, and strategic investments. For more information, visit www.usagainstalzheimers.org.