Alzheimer's disease
Rising to the global challenge of Alzheimer’s disease through innovation and collaboration.
Challenge
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disease characterised by a decline in memory, language and other thinking skills, as well as changes in mood and behaviour. Dementia affects 46.8 million people worldwide with Alzheimer’s disease being the most common cause of dementia, with 9.9 million people newly diagnosed with dementia each year.1
Like no other illness, Alzheimer's disease attacks our identity and changes who we are. It erases our past and future, steals our memories, makes simple daily tasks impossible and turns our loved ones into strangers.
A profound burden on society
By 2050, approximately 140 million people will have dementia. Hundreds of millions of caregivers and family members will be affected along with them, suffering emotionally, physically and financially.
But it won’t end there, because the impact of Alzheimer's reaches far beyond families. Until there are treatments that can slow, prevent or cure Alzheimer's, all of us will carry the burden for those who lose their independence prematurely. All of us will bear the rising burden of Alzheimer's care.
An attack on who we are
Focus
Our goal is to change how the disease affects the brain – not just treat symptoms.
Building on our long history of transforming scientific insights into life-changing medicines, our researchers are creating new technologies to learn more about how Alzheimer's disease begins and progresses. We are developing medicines that target the biology of Alzheimer's disease in multiple ways.
Our goal today is to change how the illness affects the brain – not just treat symptoms. Ultimately, we want to stop Alzheimer's in its tracks.
Improving care through earlier detection
We are also using our unique expertise in diagnostics to develop new tests to detect Alzheimer's and provide earlier and more complete information to clinicians to assist with diagnosis. This helps today’s patients receive better care and tomorrow’s patients receive effective treatments before they begin to lose their memory.
By working together with governments, academic researchers, industry peers, advocates, caregivers and patients themselves, we can begin to address these challenges and preserve what makes us who we are.
References
1. World Health Organisation. Dementia. [Internet; cited 2019 Nov 13]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia.
Better understanding, better outcomes
Rising to the global challenge of Alzheimer’s Disease
Over 55 million people worldwide live with dementia. By 2050, it is expected that this number will grow to approximately 139 million.