What is stopping a cure for Alzheimer’s disease?
What’s stopping a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, the memory disorder that affects millions of older Americans? U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., recently waded into this thorny problem during a speech to CPAC, the annual conservative conference.
“Scientists tell us that we could have a cure in 10 years for Alzheimer’s, if we’d only put our mind to it,” she said. “So why aren’t we seeking to cure diseases like Alzheimer’s, or diabetes, juvenile diabetes, heart disease, cancer, Parkinson’s disease? How did we possibly get to this point of political malpractice? Because our government, proclaiming to care so much, has created a cadre of overzealous regulators, excessive taxation and greedy litigators.”
To fact-check her remarks, we checked with a variety of Alzheimer’s researchers and policy experts. We found a strong consensus among Alzheimer’s disease experts that Bachmann’s factors are either minor obstacles or not obstacles at all. Instead, they cited two primary concerns — insufficient funding and the complexity of the disease itself.
Read our full report for details. We rated Bachmann’s statement Pants on Fire!
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