Elder Care: Campaign Urged Increase to Funding for Alzheimer's Research (UK)

Britain spends just 14p per person on Alzheimer's research compared with £1.03 in U.S.
By Daniel Martin and Jenny Hope
03rd December 2008


Britain spends just 14p per person on Alzheimer's research - possibly the lowest amount in the Western world, stark figures show.

The U.S. government spends more than seven times as much - £1.03 per person - while Australia and Canada invest more than double at 31p and 34p per person respectively.
The figures emerged yesterday as the Daily Mail launched a Christmas appeal to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society, much of which will be used for medical research as well as providing help and support to patients and families.

Overall, just 3 per cent of the Government's medical research funding goes on Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia despite the huge number of sufferers.

Around 700,000 people have dementia in the UK, but the number is on course to reach a million by 2025 as the population ages, according to official estimates.
Scientists say the toll could be greatly reduced if there is urgent investment into ways to cure or alleviate symptoms of the disease.

Last week the author Terry Pratchett, who was diagnosed with a rare form of dementia last year, warned Gordon Brown that Britain faces a 'tsunami of Alzheimer's' unless funding for research is increased.

A study by the charity Alzheimer's Australia - which is the first to compare research spending between developed countries - lays bare the paucity of British spending on dementia.
In 2007, according to the study, our Government spent £8.27million - 14p per person - on research into dementia, compared to £26million in Canada (34p), £15.3million in Australia (31p) and £724.7million in America (£1.03).

Abridged
SOURCE: Daily Mail - UK
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