Contact:

Lauren Musiol, The Reis Group (336) 692-4238, LMusiol@TheReisGroup.com

PHOENIX (Sept.17, 2018) – A new survey released today by Banner Alzheimer’s Institute (BAI), Novartis, and Amgen, in association with Alzheimer’s Disease International, finds that most U.S. adults (54 percent) are worried that they may develop Alzheimer’s, and a majority believe it is likely a cure will be developed in their lifetime (55 percent). The survey aims to raise awareness about how volunteers can take part in clinical studies to benefit Alzheimer’s research during World Alzheimer’s Month.

Alzheimer’s is the leading cause of dementia and affects 5.7 million Americans. This number is projected to increase to nearly 14 million by 2050i.The survey, conducted online by Harris Poll among more than 1,000 U.S. adults, revealed that 89 percent believe the solution to tackling diseases lies in medical research and 77 percent are willing to participate. However, many (67 percent) have no idea how to get involved in medical research.

"The results from this survey clearly demonstrate the need to raise awareness about clinical studies," said Pierre N. Tariot, MD, director of BAI and co-director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative (API). "Aside from funding, the greatest challenge in finding a way to treat, slow, or prevent Alzheimer’s is the recruitment and retention of study participants. Scientists are making great progress in our efforts to find a way to end Alzheimer’s, but an estimated 80 percent of studies fail to meet recruitment goals on time, which delays critically important research."

In the U.S. more than 200 clinical studies are recruiting in Alzheimer’sii. However, slow enrollment is a costly and common obstacle that undermines medical researchiii. There is a need for more people to volunteer to advance scientific discovery.

September 2018 marks the 7th World Alzheimer's Month and represents a chance for people to raise awareness, fundraise and find out more about how they can participate in research.

"We believe that a focus on prevention is vital to safeguard future generations," said John Tsai, MD, global head drug development and chief medical officer for Novartis. "This survey highlights that greater awareness and support is needed to ensure people have the knowledge about clinical research studies to make a well-informed choice about getting involved."

BAI, Novartis, and Amgen are sponsors of the API’s Generation Program, which is evaluating investigational treatments to help prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s. The program is enrolling volunteers aged 60-75 who are at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s but do not currently have or show signs of the disease. Information can be found at www.generationprogram.com.

The API Generation Program is the first to incorporate both genetic testing and counseling into the study screening process. Prospective participants referred to the program will be required to learn their APOE test results. Only those who learn they have one or two copies may be eligible to participate in the study.

Information about clinical trials is widely available online and from local patient advocacy groups. Details of Alzheimer’s clinical studies can be found on the Alzheimer’s Prevention Registry www.endALZnow.org/.

The U.S. survey was a part of the larger global survey about Alzheimer’s disease, including 10,000 people across 10 countries. The U.S. findings were consistent with global results.

# # #

About Banner Alzheimer’s Institute

Banner Alzheimer’s Institute (BAI) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the goal of ending Alzheimer’s disease without losing another generation. It is helping to launch a new era of Alzheimer’s research—detection, treatment and prevention at the pre-symptomatic stage—and to establish a comprehensive model of care that can be the national standard. BAI was founded in 2006 by Phoenix-based Banner Health, one of the country’s largest nonprofit healthcare systems. For more information, go to www.banneralz.org.

About Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative

The Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative (API) is an international collaborative formed to launch a new era of Alzheimer’s prevention research. Led by the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, the API will conduct prevention trials in cognitively healthy people at increased genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease. It will continue to establish the brain imaging, biological and cognitive measurements needed to rapidly test promising prevention therapies and provide registries to support enrollment in future prevention trials. API is intended to provide the scientific means, accelerated approval pathway and enrollment resources needed to evaluate the range of promising Alzheimer’s prevention therapies and find ones that work without losing another generation. For more information, go to www.alzheimerspreventioninitiative.com.

i Alzheimer’s Association Facts and Figures Report: https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures

ii ClinicalTrials.gov:

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results/map?recrs=ab&cond=Alzheimer+Disease&map=4. Clin Transl Sci. 2015 Dec; 8(6): 647–654.

iii Clin Transl Sci. 2015 Dec; 8(6): 647–654.

About the Survey

The survey was conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Banner Alzheimer’s Institute, Novartis and Amgen, among 1,010 adults 18+ living in the U.S. The survey was conducted between July 25 and Aug. 21, 2018. Figures for age by gender, income, education, race/ethnicity, region, size of household, marital status, and employment status were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.