Dementia, a condition which severely impairs the global cognitive ability like memory, problem solving, attention, language etc. in an otherwise unimpaired person will probably have a cure by 2020, claims UK’s Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt.
According to Jeremy Hunt, the drug companies believe that they would find a cure for dementia by 2020. He said, “Finding drugs that can halt or cure dementia may seem a distant prospect now but there are drugs companies that think they will have a cure for dementia by 2020.”
This will not only save lives of many but also save billions of pounds every year by NHS, the cost of caring for those with the condition.
DNA Mapping-Jeremy Hunt
DNA mapping according to Jeremy Hunt is the cure for Dementia. As he claims that this would unlock a treasure trove of information required to cure not only dementia but also tackle various other diseases like cancer.
There are plans on the way which would make Britain the first country in the world to be able to map the personal DNA code. This would be applicable for over 100,000 patients and is known as a genome.
At an annual conference of the Local Government Association in Manchester, Jeremy Hunt said, “The project would be the medical equivalent of the invention of the internet in terms of its significance”.
He also stated, “For the UK, this is a very big opportunity, because we are the country that first cracked what DNA was back in 1953. We are the country that did the first hip replacement, the country that did the first heart, lung and liver transplant and we have a tremendous science tradition.”
Rebecca Wood-Chief executive of Alzheimer’s Research:
According to Rebecca Wood, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK,
“The Health Secretary is right to place his faith in the potential of science to defeat dementia. If we are to alleviate the immense care burden caused by the condition, new treatments are vital.
“But scientists can only make progress with the right resources behind them. Dementia researchers in the UK are world leaders in their field but they are still under-resourced compared with those working on other serious diseases. For every six scientists working on cancer, just one works on dementia.
“For research to fulfil the promise of new treatments we need to see investment increase far beyond its current level and a real commitment to long-term funding for research.”
Jeremy Hughes-chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society:
According to Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of the Alzheimer’s Society, “Dementia is the biggest health and social care challenge facing Britain today and the fact that a quarter of hospital beds are occupied by people with the condition shows the enormous burden it causes to the NHS.
“We need an all-out fightback from Government, industry and organisations like the Alzheimer’s Society to find a cure. There are currently more trials going on into hay fever than into some of the most common forms of dementia. It’s not just about drug companies developing new medications from scratch.
“Studies we’re funding show that drugs which are already licensed for other conditions may also treat dementia. If these are successful we could have them doubling as treatments for dementia within 10 years.”
