UK to use G8 to spearhead new international approach on dementia research

The UK will use its presidency of the G8 to identify and agree a new international approach on dementia research, according to the Government.

The G8 is a forum for the governments of the world's eight wealthiest countries.

Prime Minister David Cameron said: “Dementia is a devastating disease - not just for sufferers but for their families and friends too. And as more people live longer, it is fast becoming one of the biggest social and healthcare challenges we face.

“Families, communities, health systems and their budgets will increasingly be strained as the number affected increases and so we need to do all we can to improve how we research, diagnose and treat the disease.

“That’s why we’re using our G8 to bring together health ministers, clinical researchers and healthcare companies. If the brightest minds are working together on this then we’ve got a greater chance of improving treatments and finding scientific breakthroughs.”

Current estimates show 35.6m people worldwide are living with dementia but with the world’s populations ageing, the World Health Organization estimates that number will nearly double every 20 years, to an estimated 65.7m in 2030, and 115.4m in 2050.

A specific G8 dementia summit will be held in London in September, bringing together health and science ministers alongside world-leading experts, senior industry figures and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It is hoped the event will secure more coordination and collaboration on dementia globally.

Dr Andrew Blackwell, chief scientific officer of Cambridge Cognition’s memory assessment, CANTABmobile, part of a Government-backed trial that aims to cut the wait for dementia diagnosis from 18 to three months, said: “We welcome the government’s commitment to tackling dementia; as one of the greatest public health challenges that we face as a society, it must be a national – and international - priority. We wholeheartedly agree with NHS England that improving diagnosis times is a key part of this effort.”

As part of the UK presidency, the UK and America are exploring opportunities to advance thinking on dementia research and identify opportunities for more international collaboration. This joint leadership will help to tackle key issues such as facilitating the discovery and development of drugs and to advance thinking on future treatments and therapies.

The UK annual funding on dementia research will increase to around £66m by 2015, while President Obama has committed America to spending around £360m ($550m) in dementia research each year. At the same time, the pharmaceutical industry is investing billions.

The total estimated worldwide costs are around £400bn (US$ 604bn) in 2010 - around one per cent of the world’s gross domestic product - and £23bn in the UK. This is likely to increase as the number of people with dementia rises year on year.

The UK launched a broad-ranging dementia plan on research, care and awareness a year ago under the Prime Minister’s Dementia Challenge, and most G8 countries have similar targeted plans.

However, much of the work and research investment has been led at a national level and experts believe a greater international approach could see significant advances and more scientific breakthroughs if countries and pharmaceutical companies collaborate more.