Cost of dementia soars on a global level
According to a new report, the global price tag of dementia will reach a astonishing $604 billion this year, and those costs will jump as the number of people living with the disease triples by 2050.
In the report released on Tuesday, researchers calculated that approximately 35 million people have dementia worldwide. Broken down by monetary wealth, the results suggests that poorer nations make up 14% of dementia cases, but account for under 1% of the total cost.
The research was led by Professor Anders Wimo of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden and Professor Martin Prince at the Institute of Psychiatry of King’s College London in the United Kingdom.
The reports suggests that governments around the world need to formulate long-term plans that foresee and address social and demographic trends and have an definite focus on supporting family carers and securing social protection of vulnerable people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, is the seventh-leading cause of death in the U.S. Nearly one-half of people ages 85 years or up have some form of dementia.
The U.S. ranks highest for cost of caring for a person with Alzheimer’s, around $48,000 according to the report.
There is presently no known cure to Alzheimer’s disease.
I have read your recent article on Alzheimer’s and it was a great piece. I follow the progress of research with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS on a daily basis. I have a close friend or family member that has been affected by each of those diseases. What puzzles me is that no one can diagnose these diseases until they have reached a late stage and by then it’s too late. Over the past few years I have seen numerous press releases of researchers and companies coming up with treatments and tests, but none of them seem to work out and the diseases just keep hitting more and more people. Just today it was announced that “globally the cost of caring for people with dementia has been forecast at $637 billion this year. Estimated there were now 35.6 million people living with dementia globally, and the cost of their care and associated impacts would account for one per cent of global GDP this year. About 70 per cent of these costs occur in Western Europe and North America, despite nearly two-thirds of people with dementia living in low and middle income countries.”
One expert said that until there is a test to identify Alzheimer’s at an early stage, very little would be done in regards to treatments. The science is stuck in one place and no-one can seem to get past this barrier and onto the next stage which would bring this disease closer to understanding and treated.
Unknown to almost everyone, is a team of Canadian researchers that are very close to breaking that barrier. I have been following this company for about 5 years now and I have been able to get to know some of the researchers and company officials quite well. One thing that I have realized is that they are quietly working at a number of products that will very shortly be the standard relating to diagnostics and therapeutics. While many researchers and biotech are coming out with claims at very preliminary stages, this company does not reveal anything till the science is completed. Here are a few highlights on the company’s progress which really emphasise how close they are.
About Amorfix
Amorfix Life Sciences Ltd. (TSX:AMF) is a theranostics company developing therapeutic
products and diagnostic devices targeting misfolded protein diseases including Alzheimer’s
disease, ALS, and cancer. The Company’s diagnostic programs include an ultrasensitive
method for the detection of aggregated Beta-Amyloid in brain tissue and blood from animal
models of AD, months prior to observable amyloid formation, as well as human blood screening
tests for Alzheimer’s and early liver cancer detection. Amorfix’s proprietary Epitope Protection™ (EP) technology enables it to specifically identify very low levels of aggregated misfolded proteins (AMP) in a sample. Amorfix utilizes its computational discovery platform, ProMIS™, to predict novel Disease Specific Epitopes (“DSE”) on the molecular surface of misfolded proteins. Amorfix’s lead therapeutic programs include antibodies and vaccines to DSEs in ALS, AD and cancer. For more information about Amorfix, visit http://www.amorfix.com.
Press Releases:
Amorfix Life Sciences announces world’s first detection of aggregated beta-amyloid in blood using the Alzheimer’s diagnostic A4 Assay (May 4, 2010)Amorfix Life Sciences Ltd. announced today the detection of the AD-associated aggregated Beta-amyloid (ABeta), the hallmark of AD, in the blood from the most-frequently-used animal model of AD.
Amorfix and reMYND announces testing service agreement for the A4 Alzheimer’s Test, July 6, 2010
Amorfix A4 Assay Provides New Insights Into Alzheimer’s Disease Pre-Clinical Development Mouse Models , July 12, 2010
Amorfix Life Sciences Announces Publication of A4 Data in Prestigious Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Provides Update on Management Changes, September 16, 2010
About A4
The Amorfix A4 assay is an ultrasensitive method for the detection of aggregated Abeta that provides quantitative measurements of aggregates. The A4 can detect aggregates in plasma, and brain tissue from standard animal models of AD several months before conventional microscopic procedures thereby accelerating the preclinical screening of new drugs for AD. The A4 is significantly more sensitive than current methods for detecting total Abeta and can be used in high-throughput applications designed to study the inhibition of amyloid formation.
Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnostics – from Robert Gundel, PhD, MBA, President and CEO
We are continuing with A4 assay optimization and development for use as a human diagnostic. We are on track and expect to have all feasibility studies completed by year end. The recent publication of the results from an ADNI sponsored study that examined the usefulness of measurements of Aβ and tau in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for predicting progression to Alzheimer’s disease is of particular importance to Amorfix. This report solidified the diagnostic importance of measuring specific biochemical markers in CSF and confirms the value of CSF measurements in predicting Alzheimer’s diseases. Amorfix is encouraged by these data, and our plan is to have the A4 assay included in predictive clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in the future. As you know, this is an immense market opportunity as there are currently no available biochemical assays for the accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.
The Liver Cancer Diagnostic program and our Cancer Antibody Programs are all moving forward on budget and on schedule. I will be providing updates on these programs when significant milestones are reached.
Amorfix continues to focus on several fronts to ensure that our product pipeline of novel diagnostics and therapeutics are successful. I will keep you updated on a regular basis on our scientific and business accomplishments throughout the year.
The researchers use AD infected mice to test their AD anti-bodies. This is a controlled experiment as they know the mice have AD. The next stage of research is to be able to locate amyloids in dogs. Did you know that certain breeds of dogs develop dementia naturally and it mirrors human AD? Guess what the company has developed its A4 test to locate AD in dogs. Many of us do not think that they will announce this until they are closer to attending the Canine Cognition, Aging and Neuropathology Conference, 11-12 November 2010: Laguna Beach, CA, USA.
The company is also involved in research in Parkinson’s, ALS, vCjd, BSE and 4-5 different cancers with a number of various partners. The offshoot of this company is other research organizations that involve Dr Neil Cashman ( PrioNet and Prevent). But There are people that are are aware and watching this company very closely , a few HUGE pharamacutical companies I think this would be a great story that would bring peoples hopes up that there are companies that are much closer to the answer then many think.
Len Hudyma
Edmonton Alberta Canada