Commission calls on EU Member States to join forces against Alzheimer's disease
On 22 July the European Commission called on EU Member States to pool
their resources and better coordinate research efforts to combat
Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases. The proposals adopted
by the Commission follow a 2008 recommendation by the Council of the
European Union to launch a joint programming initiative in this field
in 2009.
Approximately 7.3 million people in Europe suffer from Alzheimer's
disease (AD) and related disorders, such as vascular dementia. The
increasing burden this places on healthcare systems, particularly in
light of Europe's ageing population, is daunting: the cost of caring
for a single patient is around EUR 21,000, and in 2005, the total cost
of treating these patients was close to EUR 130 thousand million in the
EU.
'Losing mental capacity to dementia is not just a normal part of
getting older,' said EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou. 'As
the European population ages, we must work together to better
understand and prevent these conditions. We must show our solidarity to
people with dementia by sharing best practice in caring for them, and
respecting their rights and dignity.'
Diagnosis often occurs too late for treatments to mitigate the
effects of these disorders, and early diagnosis is almost impossible.
Effective treatments to slow down or stop the deterioration of brain
function remain elusive, and significant funds from both individual
Member States and the EU's Sixth and Seventh Research Framework
Programmes (FP6 and FP7 respectively) have been tunnelled into research
efforts to prevent, diagnose and treat AD and other neurodegenerative
disorders.
However, funding for AD research in Europe is complex, as each
country has a unique set of financing systems, research policies and
organisational structures. Importantly, spending also varies widely
between different organisations and countries.
The joint programming approach involves Member States voluntarily
working together rather than separately to define, develop and
implement a single strategic research agenda. It should enable Member
States to develop a common vision of how to address major societal
challenges that no one country is capable of resolving alone.
Neurodegenerative disease research is being used as a pilot project for
this approach, and so far 20 countries are participating.
'We want to help research play a bigger role in tackling such
societal challenges as Alzheimer's and related disorders,' said EU
Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik. 'We will see a major
step ahead if Member States now start coordinating their national
programmes around a common agenda.
'With the Recommendation on Joint Programming of research we
propose today, we invite Member States to commit to a pragmatic
approach for pooling resources and research investments in order to
better address Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases. This
is an opportunity for European science and a response to a challenge of
our modern society.'
Joint programming to fight neurodegenerative disorders will, it is
hoped, lead to more accurate diagnostic tools and more effective forms
of treatment. To get the ball rolling on forming the strategic research
agenda, the Commission has proposed taking action in four major areas:
acting early to diagnose dementia and to reduce the risk of dementia in
the first place; improving research coordination between EU countries;
implementing sharing of best practices; and providing a forum to
reflect on the rights, autonomy and dignity of patients.
'There is a real and urgent need to pool and coordinate the efforts
of European fundamental, clinical and social researchers in this
field,' the Commission's proposal reads. 'Given that most research on
neurodegenerative disease is still at the preclinical phase, publicly
funded research will be instrumental in any breakthrough in such areas
as research on biomarkers, the development of new criteria and methods
for prevention and diagnosis, and the testing of new therapeutics in
large-scale clinical trials.'
The proposal invites the Member States to develop a strategic
research agenda and an implementation plan establishing priorities,
milestones and timelines. This would include the following: 'exchanging
information on national programmes, research activities and health care
systems; identifying areas which would benefit from coordination, joint
calls or the pooling of resources; facilitating transdisciplinary and
cross-sectoral mobility and training; and exploring the joint
exploitation of research infrastructures and the networking of research
centres'.
The pilot joint programming initiative is expected to be the first
of many such cooperative efforts, and marks a step forward in the
Commission's 'Europe for Patients campaign' for better healthcare in
Europe.
Commission proposal for a Council Recommendation on a pilot joint programming initiative to combat neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Alzheimer's - briefing
Alzheimer's disease and other dementias - EC Communication
Source: Community R&D Information Service (CORDIS)
