On August 26th Governor Pritzker signed SB 1726 which expanded Illinois Alzheimer’s Disease Advisory Committee and the Alzheimer’s Disease Research, Care and Support Fund.
The bill also creates the full-time position of Dementia Coordinator within the Department of Public Health, who is responsible only for activities associated with and relevant to the successful implementation of the State of Illinois Alzheimer’s Disease State Plan.
In 2018 there are an estimated 220,000 persons with Alzheimer’s disease living in Illinois. This figure is projected to reach 240,000 in 2025, a 14 percent increase. If all of the persons with Alzheimer’s disease in Illinois lived in one city, it would be the state’s second largest city.
The growing health and financial impact of Alzheimer’s disease on patients, caregivers, and our healthcare system makes the need for new treatments more pressing. Currently there are 74 clinical-stage programs with disease-modifying potential in Alzheimer’s disease. The drug candidates in these programs are attempting to stop, prevent, or slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease using 10 different strategies involving 30 distinct molecular targets. Small biotech companies account for more than three-fourths of these clinical programs.
Read more about the state of innovation for therapeutics in Alzheimer’s disease: The State of Innovation in Highly Prevalent Chronic Diseases Volume IV: Alzheimer’s Disease Therapeutics.
Thank you to Senator Suzy Glowiak HIlton (D – 24th) and Rep. Natalie Manley (D – 98th) for your leadership on this bill.