David Cameron Reveals Plans In Announcement At Global Summit

A drive in the UK to discover new drugs and treatment effective in the battle against dementia has been announced by the Prime Minister.

David Cameron revealed the plans in a speech at the Global Dementia Legacy Event last month, a summit in London attended by world health and finance leaders, where he also warned that action was needed to tackle the market failure on research and drug development.

It was also confirmed that the UK was planning to bring forward proposals on patent extensions, improve access to drugs, greater research collaboration and facilitate a higher level of investment.

Mr Cameron said: “We need to join up the dots and create a big, bold global push to beat this.

“It will take years of work but we have shown with other diseases that we can make progress and we will do so again.”

Expert Opinion

There are around 800,000 people living with dementia in the UK and the impact it has on so many lives cannot be underestimated. As a result, it is very welcome to see the Government confirm its plans to push on with developing treatments and drugs to tackle the issue. <br/> <br/>"However, it is vital that people recognise the dangers which dementia can pose and ensure such concerns lead them to take action to ensure plans are in place should they lose the ability to manage their own finances and affairs. <br/> <br/>"We see numerous cases when people have been left facing time-consuming and emotionally draining legal battles as a result of disputes related to people either failing to put wills in place before losing capacity or other circumstances when families have fallen out regarding powers of attorney. <br/> <br/>"Forward planning is key and we would urge anyone with concerns regarding illnesses of this nature to ensure they take steps to put provisions in place, as well as ensure they outline their plans to loved ones to ensure no one is left with any doubt regarding their wishes. <br/> <br/>"Such steps can make a huge difference and avoid much emotional difficulty in the future." Paula Myers - Partner