G8 to increase dementia research budget

At a conference on dementia held by the Group of Eight (G8) in the UK on December 11, representatives of participating countries pledged to increase funding for research to find new treatments for the disease by 2025.

The number of people with dementia in the world is increasing. Illustration photo. (Source: nuffieldbioethics.org)
G8 leaders and health ministers have vowed to launch an international action plan to close the gap between research and real-world treatments for dementia.

The G8 countries also called on the World Health Organization (WHO) to recognize dementia as a "growing threat to global health" and help countries around the world deal with the disease.

Speaking at the conference, British Prime Minister David Cameron said the country would double its budget for dementia research from £66 million in 2015 to £122 million by 2025.

In addition, the Medical Research Council (MRC) will also spend £50 million to improve treatments and slow the progression of the disease over the next five years.

Dementia affects 820,000 people in the UK and costs the economy £23bn, more than cancer and heart disease combined, Mr Cameron said.

Since 2003, the world has not found a new treatment for this disease, while current treatments have only brought modest results. WHO data shows that there are currently about 44 million people in the world with dementia, and this number is expected to triple to 135 million by 2050.

In 2010, the total cost of treating the disease was estimated at $604 billion, with 70% of it in Western Europe and North America. However, nearly 60% of people with dementia live in developing countries, putting increasing pressure on health services and budgets as populations grow and age./.

According to Vietnam+