U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and state leaders visited Fort Lauderdale Thursday to outline the Trump administration's commitment to Alzheimer's disease research.
The HHS plans follow the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent announcement of a new agency program to research prevention and treatment for brain and nervous system diseases.
Kennedy Jr. and state leaders spoke to reportes about HHS plans at the Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale.
The Neuroscience Advancement and Innovation Nexus plans to integrate scientific and regulatory expertise across drug, biologic and medical device centers to help further medical product technology for diseases and conditions affecting the brain and nervous system.
" We need to actually open our minds, open up the science and do the work to really answer the questions that we all want the answers to," Kennedy Jr. said. "High blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and physical inactivity connect our work on dementia to a broader fight against all these other chronic diseases. By addressing these risks, we can help Americans protect their brain health as they age."
The inaugural initiative at the nexus, or NAIN, is the Alzheimer's Prevention Accelerator, which focuses on finding medical products that can help delay or altogether prevent Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
The Alzheimer's Association estimates 7.4 million Americans live with dementia. In 2020, Florida was the second state with the most cases of clinical Alzheimer’s dementia among 65-year-old adults and older.
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" Behind that number are millions of families, caregivers and loved ones whose lives have been profoundly affected by this devastating condition," said Kyle Diamantas, acting commissioner of food and drugs at the FDA, in Fort Lauderdale. "New treatments have demonstrated that we can slow disease progression in patients with early symptoms, but we also know that slowing decline after symptoms appear is no longer enough."
Kennedy Jr., emphasized the importance of funding research for preventative care for patients of the condition. Joining him at the press conference was Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, who chairs the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging.
" The last five years of an Alzheimer's patient's life is gonna cost nearly $375,000. That is about 65% higher than what we spend for people who have heart disease or people who have cancer," said Oz. "It's more expensive to manage someone with Alzheimer's than cancer and heart disease... We are waging war on cancer and heart disease. We're getting tremendous success in both those areas. Alzheimer's has lagged behind."
As the number of people suffering from dementia diseases is projected to substantially increase, investment in medical devices, clinical trials and holistic health is key, Oz said.
The $100 million Kennedy Jr. authorized for MAHA Elevate (MAHA stands for 'Make America Healthy Again') will be split for 30 small grants to be awarded to medical device and research companies primarily dedicated to lifestyle approaches, with several dedicated solely to Alzheimer's.
The goal is to find an approach, or a combination, " that allows you to reverse as much as we believe it can be possible in the published clinical trials that already exist," Oz said.
Felipe Pinzón is president and CEO of Hispanic Unity of Florida, a nonprofit serving South Florida's immigrants. He was in the audience at the hospital and said he likes the focus on prevention " instead of just managing the crisis and intervention."
" I'm extremely excited that this administration is investing in our seniors and of course addressing a major issue in the community, which is Alzheimer's and other dementias," Pinzón said.
