Calls for a tripling of dementia research funding

Health charities have today urged the government to commit to a tripling of funding for dementia research to £96 million within five years.

Research by the Alzheimer’s Research Trust and Alzheimer's Society has revealed the UK lags behind France, Germany and the US when it comes to dementia research funding and there are no concrete plans for its progression in the future.

As a result, the groups have called on the government to commit to a national dementia strategy and exploit the UK's scientific talent to help send the country to the front of the race to find a cure.

In a joint statement launched ahead of the government’s forthcoming Dementia Research Summit due to take place this summer, the charities set out priorities and opportunities for dementia research.

Neil Hunt, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Society, said: "Dementia is the health challenge of our generation, it is absolutely vital that dementia research funding is tripled. One million people will develop dementia in the next ten years, yet the government invests just two per cent of its medical research budget on dementia.

"The Dementia Research Summit must be more than just a talking shop. It is a crucial opportunity for the government, charities and stakeholders to commit to a shared vision for dementia research. We need an ambitious plan that drives change and defeats this devastating condition."

Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, added: "700,000 people in the UK live with dementia, costing our economy £17 billion annually. Given the stakes, the government cannot afford to get its dementia research policy wrong."

She declared that by spending £96 million per year, the UK would be placed proportionately on a par with other world-leaders like the United States, and it would bring funding per person with dementia up to a similar level to government investment in cancer research.

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