The Group of Eight (G8) nations are launching a global battle against Alzheimer’s Disease, with a target date of 2025 for curing or finding an effective treatment for dementia, news outlet Reuters reports following a meeting of the international consortium.
The G8 will attack Alzheimer’s in the same way it has battled against AIDS, the group’s officials said during the meeting last week, held in London.
“We have turned the global tide in the battle against AIDS. Now we need to do it again. We will bankrupt our healthcare systems if we don’t,” said Health Minister Jeremy Hunt, according to the Reuters report.
The group’s leaders acknowledged the magnitude of the task; a crisis that is projected to triple the number of people it effects between now and the year 2050. Leads toward curing the disease are relatively scarce, but the countries in the G8 said they are committed to spending considerably toward the goal, with the United Kingdom stating it would double its investment in the cure.
“[British Prime Minister David] Cameron said Britain aimed to double its annual spending by 2025 to more than 130 million pounds ($214 million), up from a 2015 target of 66 million pounds, but dementia campaigners say spending will still be only a fraction of that spent on cancer research,” Reuters reported.
Written by Elizabeth Ecker
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