Alzheimer's Association Supports First Large-Scale Clinical Trial on Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's Association
Monday, 15 March 1999

The Alzheimer's Association supports the National Institute on Aging's (NIA) Memory Impairment Study as a meaningful step toward preventing Alzheimer's disease.

The Memory Impairment Study is a nationwide study targeting individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a condition characterized by memory loss. The study will test the usefulness of two drugs to slow or stop the progression from MCI to Alzheimer's disease.

"We must prevent Alzheimer's disease, and the Alzheimer's Association supports large scale trials to find ways to do it," said William Thies, Ph.D., vice president of medical and scientific affairs at the Alzheimer's Association. "We must find ways to intervene early in the disease process — before significant brain cell damage has occurred — and stop the disease from happening."

"This study is as much a trial of the research methodology as it is of the particular drugs being used," Thies emphasized. "Even with all our current medical knowledge and advances, we are not yet certain if we can conduct a trial on Alzheimer's disease prevention. A key factor is whether we can effectively identify and recruit people who do not yet have Alzheimer's but are at higher risk for the disease.

"Our goal is to spare individuals and families the terrible toll of suffering from this disease and our economy and healthcare system from buckling under its costly burden."

According to the Association, Alzheimer's disease currently affects 4 million Americans and costs the U.S. at least $100 billion per year. If current trends continue, Alzheimer's will become the epidemic of the 21st century, destroying the lives and savings of 14 million baby boomers and their families by the year 2050. Annual costs will soar to at least $375 billion.

The Association calls on the nation to harness its resources — public and private — to conquer Alzheimer's disease. If scientists can delay the onset of Alzheimer's for even five years, half its potential victims will never be disabled by the disease and the nation will save as much as $50 billion a year that would otherwise be spent on their care.

Alzheimer's Disease Prevention Initiative

Last year Congress appropriated an additional $50 million to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to launch an Alzheimer's disease prevention initiative. The research infrastructure is in place, and the nation's leading scientists have outlined the work that needs to be done, including:

- Large-scale longitudinal studies of potential treatments to delay or prevent onset of the disease.

- Identification of biological markers and reliable tests that will allow presymptomatic detection of the disease so that treatment can begin soon enough to make a difference.

- Research on the epidemiology of Alzheimer's disease in populations defined by gender, race, ethnicity and culture, and development of culturally competent screening instruments.

- Assessment of the development and use of Alzheimer laboratory models to learn how Alzheimer's disease progresses and to test promising therapies without putting people at risk.

- Testing of new methods of treatment and care to improve quality of life, prevent excess disability and develop affordable systems of care.

"If we do not pursue these avenues of research aggressively, we will lose another generation to the ravages of Alzheimer's disease. That is why the Alzheimer's Association is committing major new resources to research over the next two years. And it is why we are calling on Congress to complete the investment it started last year," Thies said.

Recommendations from the Alzheimer's Association

- Appropriate $500 million for Alzheimer research at NIH (an increase of $100 million) to permit full funding of the Alzheimer's Disease Prevention Initiative.

- Ensure adequate funding for the Alzheimer's Disease Centers, which provide the essential infrastructure for basic and clinical research, technology transfer, and multicenter cooperative studies in diagnosis and treatment.

- Create a stable source of federal research funding to supplement regular appropriations to NIH.

- Enact legislation to ensure continued progress in genetic research while preserving the privacy of individuals and protecting them from discrimination in housing, employment, insurance, and health care based on genetic information.

For more information, or to contact Alzheimer's Association, see their website at: www.alz.org