Today, MJFF CEO Todd Sherer, PhD, published an op-ed in The Hill urging lawmakers to create a national plan to support scientific breakthroughs for Parkinson's disease (PD). While federal funding, largely deployed through the National Institutes of Health, has been invaluable in the pursuit of Parkinson's cures, more resources are needed. Given a new study that highlights the growing prevalence of PD, Sherer argues that now is the time to create a national Parkinson's strategy:
Not only would a national, multi-agency Parkinson's project plan (similar to plans that have previously been devised in Alzheimer's, cancer and HIV) serve people with the disease, but it's a smart investment given the burden our government faces in the future. Parkinson's disease already is estimated to cost our country between $19.8 billion and $26.4 billion per year. Spending on Medicare and Medicaid alone, just for those with Parkinson's, will explode as diagnoses rise, and the NIH budget of $34.1 billion is simply not enough given the prevalence of various diseases.