Summary
World Dementia Envoy, Dr Dennis Gillings, has commented on how progress on new research and treatments for dementia has been “achingly slow”.
The World Dementia Council, led by the World Dementia Envoy, is meeting today; six months after the original G8 Dementia Summit. The aim is to promote funding, innovation, development and commercialisation in research geared towards development of life-enhancing drugs, treatments and approaches to care for people with dementia.
Reference
Mazumdar, T. (2014). Dementia progress ‘achingly slow’ says global envoy. London: BBC Health News, June 19th 2014.
See also:
Reference
Action to speed up progress on dementia drugs and research. London: Department of Health / Dementia Challenge / World Dementia Council, June 19th 2014.
Further information, released during the day:
Reference
World Dementia Envoy calls for radical change to boost dementia research investment. London: Department of Health / Dementia Challenge / World Dementia Council, June 19th 2014.
“The UK is also launching the world’s largest study into dementia, involving 2 million people, through the Medical Research Council and industry partners… and a £100 million campaign, Defeat Dementia, is being announced by Alzheimer’s Research UK”.
The speech presented by the World Dementia Envoy:
Reference
Dr Gillings Global Dementia Legacy Event Speech. London: Department of Health / Dementia Challenge / World Dementia Council, June 19th 2014.
This outlined three areas for progress:
- The ratio of risk to reward for pharmaceutical companies to promote investment in dementia drugs research and development.
- The stimulation of investment in research and development.
- Better international collaboration, and the need for an infrastructure to facilitate the co-ordination of knowledge and interpretation of data.
The government has released the full text of David Cameron’s speech at the event urging global action on dementia:
Reference
Global Dementia Legacy Event: David Cameron’s speech. London: Prime Minister’s Office and Department of Health, June 19th 2014.
BBC News coverage of the Prime Minister’s contributions:
Reference
Dementia is ‘one of greatest enemies of humanity’ – PM. London: BBC Health News, June 19th 2014.
A Department of Health press release offers a synopsis:
Reference
UK commits to new action to find breakthrough on dementia. London: Prime Minister’s Office and Department of Health, June 19th 2014.
Factoid:
“New research by Professor Martin Knapp at the London School of Economics suggests the annual cost of dementia in the UK is approximately £21 billion. The research also shows that a treatment delaying the onset of dementia by 36 months would save the UK as much as £5 billion a year”.
Global Dementia Legacy Event on Finance and Social Investment: Videos
It is possible to watch recordings of the full proceedings of this event (in five recorded sessions) online:
Reference
Watch the Global Dementia Legacy Event on Finance and Social Investment. London: Department of Health / Dementia Challenge / World Dementia Council, June 24th 2014.
And again (ten videos of speakers):
Reference
Watch the Dementia Legacy Event videos. London: Department of Health / Dementia Challenge / World Dementia Council, August 13th 2014.
Global Dementia Legacy Event Slide Packs
Slide packs have been made available for each of the five sessions.
Reference
Global Dementia Legacy Event Slide Packs. Session One: The ambition. London: Department of Health / Dementia Challenge / World Dementia Council, June 24th 2014.
Reference
Global Dementia Legacy Event Slide Packs. Session Two: Barriers to investment in research to find a disease modifying therapy or cure for dementia. London: Department of Health / Dementia Challenge / World Dementia Council, June 24th 2014.
Reference
Global Dementia Legacy Event Slide Packs. Session Three: To explore ways in which we can increase investment in innovation. London: Department of Health / Dementia Challenge / World Dementia Council, June 24th 2014.
Reference
Global Dementia Legacy Event Slide Packs. Session Four: Exploring the financial mechanisms that can be harnessed to increase investment in dementia. London: Department of Health / Dementia Challenge / World Dementia Council, June 24th 2014.
Reference
Global Dementia Legacy Event Slide Packs. Session Five: The next goal – towards Canada, France, Japan and the United States. London: Department of Health / Dementia Challenge / World Dementia Council, June 24th 2014.
[A version of this item features in Dementia: the Latest Evidence Newsletter (RWNHST), Volume 3 Issue 12, July 2014].
Anyone would think this was a new problem. The facts remain that dementia has always been there it is a disease that had been swept under the carpet for decades as we were .led to believe it was a part of aging, Also it has been hidden as people with this terrible disease in the latter stages do not have a voice. Historically it was always a grey area, so thank goodness it is now recognised as the life destroying illness that it is.