[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 27, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E606]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    REGARDING THE ENSURING USEFUL RESEARCH EXPENDITURES IS KEY FOR 
                        ALZHEIMER'S (EUREKA) ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 27, 2016

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Ensuring 
Useful Research Expenditures is Key for Alzheimer's Act--also known as 
the ``EUREKA Act'', a bill I introduced earlier today with my fellow 
Tennessean John Duncan, which would establish a prize competition to 
accelerate the discovery and development of treatments to alleviate, 
prevent, and/or cure Alzheimer's disease and related dementia.
  This is a bipartisan House companion to a bipartisan bill introduced 
previously by Senators Roger Wicker, Kelly Ayotte, John Barrasso, 
Shelley Capito, Susan Collins, Angus King, and Brian Schatz.
  Alzheimer's disease is a tragic disease affecting millions of 
Americans, and it has reached crisis proportions.
  There is no effective treatment, no means of prevention, and no 
method for slowing the progression of the disease.
  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, five 
million Americans were living with Alzheimer's in 2013, and those 
numbers have swelled since then.
  Because of the large numbers of patients and the length of time 
living with the disease, the Alzheimer's Association has called it 
``the most expensive disease in America.''
  They estimate that the U.S. will spend $236 billion in 2016 on 
patients who have Alzheimer's and related dementias.
  Earlier this month, I and over 70 of my colleagues in the House 
signed a letter to the House Committee on Appropriations to request a 
$500 million increase in National Institutes of Health (``NIH'') 
funding for Alzheimer's research in fiscal year 2017.
  And while funding Alzheimer's research directly by the NIH is 
important to combating the disease, it is not the only way that 
Congress can act to stimulate discovery and development of new 
treatments.
  The creation of prizes to be awarded for solving difficult problems 
is a new strategy for U.S. agencies to tap into the limitless ingenuity 
and creativity of the American people.
  Prize competitions are run by more than 80 agencies across the 
federal government.
  The EUREKA Act builds upon these efforts to seek innovative solutions 
from the public, and bring the best ideas and talent together to solve 
difficult problems.
  If enacted, the EUREKA Act will provide $10 million for the NIH and 
other agencies to create prizes for new prevention measures, 
treatments, and cures for Alzheimer's disease.
  I urge my colleagues to join our bipartisan effort and help pass the 
EUREKA Act.

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