A Message from the Executive Director
“As a geriatrician who has cared for thousands of people with Alzheimer’s disease, I know the tremendous burden of this illness. As a neuroscientist, I am certain that we can successfully develop effective Alzheimer’s disease drugs within five to ten years.”
- Howard Fillit, MD, Executive Director
The aging of the population worldwide is setting the stage for an epidemic of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a chronic, progressive, and ultimately fatal neurodegenerative disease of aging that causes irreversible loss of mental function, destroying the lives of those with the disease and disrupting the lives of those who love and care for them.
Alzheimer’s disease was discovered at the turn of the 20th Century, but despite much progress, effective drugs for treatment and prevention are still not available. The Alzheimer Drug Discovery Foundation’s mission is to accelerate the discovery of new drugs for Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias.
The statistics:
- The number of people with Alzheimer’s disease in the U.S. alone is expected to increase from 4.5 million to 14 million by 2050
- Alzheimer’s disease affects 1 out of 4 people over age 75, 1 out of 3 people over 80, and nearly half of those over age 85
If we can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease by just five years, we can cut the number of people suffering from this tragic disease in half. With your help, our progress will proceed more quickly. We hope you will join us.