I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1897 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to require a Federal commitment 

to Alzheimer’s disease research to advance breakthrough treatments for 

people living with Alzheimer’s disease. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 13, 2011 

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. BURGESS, and Mr. 

PLATTS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to require a Federal 

commitment to Alzheimer’s disease research to advance 

breakthrough treatments for people living with Alzheimer’s disease. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Alzheimer’s Break5 through Act of 2011’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 


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1 (1) Alzheimer’s disease is a disorder that de2 stroys cells in the brain. The disease is the leading 

3 cause of dementia, a condition that involves gradual 

4 memory loss, decline in the ability to perform rou5 tine tasks, disorientation, difficulty in learning, loss 

6 of language skills, impairment of judgment, and per7 sonality changes. As the disease progresses, people 

8 with Alzheimer’s disease become unable to care for 

9 themselves. The loss of brain cells eventually leads 

10 to the failure of other systems in the body. 

11 (2) Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading 

12 cause of death in the United States and remains the 

13 only one of the top ten causes of death without an 

14 identified way to prevent, cure, or slow its progres15 sion. 

16 (3) An estimated 5.4 million Americans have 

17 Alzheimer’s disease. With the aging of the baby 

18 boomers, the number of Americans with Alzheimer’s 

19 disease will likely reach 13.5 million in 2050—and 

20 could be as high as 16 million. 

21 (4) An individual will live with the increasingly 

22 devastating, debilitating, and destructive effects of 

23 Alzheimer’s disease for an average of 4 to 8 years 

24 after diagnosis, and some live as long as 20 years. 


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1 (5) Alzheimer’s disease does not just affect 

2 those with the disease but takes an emotional, finan3 cial, and physical toll on caregivers. In 2010, nearly 

4 15 million Americans provided 17 billion hours of 

5 unpaid care to family members and friends with Alz6 heimer’s disease and other dementias at a total 

7 value of over $202 billion. 

8 (6) In 2011, Medicare is expected to spend $93 

9 billion for the care of individuals with Alzheimer’s 

10 disease and other dementias and this amount is pro11 jected to increase to $627 billion in 2050. Medicaid 

12 costs is expected to increase nearly 400 percent, 

13 from $37 billion in 2011 to $178 billion in 2050. 

14 (7) In fiscal year 2010, the Federal Govern15 ment spent $450 million on Alzheimer’s disease re16 search. For every $100 the Federal Government 

17 spent on Alzheimer’s disease research in fiscal year 

18 2010, Medicare and Medicaid spent more than 

19 $28,000 for care for people with Alzheimer’s disease. 

20 (8) Research leading to treatments that delay 

21 onset of Alzheimer’s disease by just five years would 

22 cut Federal Government spending on the disease by 

23 45 percent in 2050. 

24 (9) In 2010, Congress passed the National Alz25 heimer’s Project Act, which instructs the DepartVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:40 May 25, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1897.IH H1897

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1 ment of Health and Human Services to develop a 

2 strategic plan (referred to in this section as the 

3 ‘‘National Alzheimer’s Project plan’’) to address the 

4 rapidly escalating Alzheimer’s disease crisis. 

5 (10) The annually updated National Alz6 heimer’s Project plan must be transmitted to Con7 gress each year and is to include outcome-driven ob8 jectives, recommendations for priority actions, and 

9 coordination of all federally funded programs in Alz10 heimer’s disease research, care, and services. 

11 (11) It is expected that the National Alz12 heimer’s Project plan will include research priority 

13 actions to accelerate the development of treatments 

14 that would prevent, cure, or slow the progression of 

15 Alzheimer’s disease. 

16 (12) The medical and research communities 

17 have the ideas, the technology, and the will, but need 

18 the Federal Government to commit to an innovative 

19 research approach, to find breakthroughs that will 

20 provide significant returns on investment and will 

21 save millions of lives. 


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1 SEC. 3. REQUIRING A FEDERAL COMMITMENT TO ALZ2 HEIMER’S DISEASE RESEARCH. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Part A of title IV of the Public 

4 Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 281 et seq.) is amended 

5 by adding at the end the following new section: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 404I. REQUIRING A FEDERAL COMMITMENT TO ALZ7 HEIMER’S DISEASE RESEARCH. 

8 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF ALZHEIMER’S.—In this section, 

9 the term ‘Alzheimer’s’ means Alzheimer’s disease and re10 lated dementias. 

11 ‘‘(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to de12 velop and execute a scientific research plan to accelerate 

13 breakthroughs in treatments that prevent, cure, or slow 

14 the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and reduce the fi15 nancial burden of Alzheimer’s on federally funded pro16 grams and families. 

17 ‘‘(c) FEDERAL COMMITMENT TO ALZHEIMER’S DIS18 EASE RESEARCH.—For the purpose described in sub19 section (b), the Director of NIH shall coordinate and focus 

20 all Alzheimer’s research activities of the National Insti21 tutes of Health. Such activities shall include the following: 

22 ‘‘(1) The establishment of a strategic Alz23 heimer’s research plan— 

24 ‘‘(A) to expedite therapeutic outcomes for 

25 individuals with or at risk for Alzheimer’s, 

26 using scientifically based strategic planning, for 


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1 the conduct, coordination, and support of the 

2 Alzheimer’s research portfolio within the Office 

3 of the Director of NIH and across all Institutes 

4 and Centers of the National Institutes of 

5 Health; and 

6 ‘‘(B) that, with respect to such Alzheimer’s 

7 research— 

8 ‘‘(i) identifies research opportunities 

9 relating to emerging science, knowledge 

10 gaps, and priorities of the National Insti11 tutes of Health and provides recommenda12 tions for conducting such research; 

13 ‘‘(ii) identifies opportunities to incor14 porate Alzheimer’s disease research in all 

15 relevant aging, neuroscience, basic, clinical, 

16 and translational science initiatives carried 

17 out by the National Institutes of Health, 

18 including initiatives that are trans-Na19 tional Institutes of Health, innovative, and 

20 nontraditional initiatives; 

21 ‘‘(iii) improves existing Alzheimer’s 

22 programs and initiatives at the National 

23 Institutes of Health, including consolida24 tion or expansion of program activities, if 

25 such consolidation or expansion would imVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:40 May 25, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1897.IH H1897

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1 prove program efficiencies and research 

2 outcomes; 

3 ‘‘(iv) identifies gaps in the supporting 

4 infrastructure and the coordination of the 

5 Alzheimer’s research portfolio across the 

6 Institutes and Centers of the National In7 stitutes of Health, including the Alz8 heimer’s Disease Centers and Alzheimer’s 

9 Disease Research Centers and all intra10 mural and extramural Alzheimer’s-related 

11 activities; 

12 ‘‘(v) identifies public-private partner13 ship opportunities to expedite the develop14 ment of mechanisms for early diagnosis 

15 and therapies and assistive technologies for 

16 Alzheimer’s, including such therapies and 

17 technologies that demonstrate high promise 

18 of substantially slowing, stopping, or re19 versing Alzheimer’s and reducing the 

20 amounts that the Federal Government 

21 would spend on the future care provided to 

22 individuals who develop Alzheimer’s; 

23 ‘‘(vi) identifies opportunities to in24 crease research and improve clinical outVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:40 May 25, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1897.IH H1897

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1 comes for women and minority populations 

2 at high-risk of developing Alzheimer’s; and 

3 ‘‘(vii) incorporates the research pri4 ority actions identified by the Secretary 

5 and Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Re6 search, Care, and Services in the report 

7 submitted by the Secretary to Congress 

8 under section 2(g) of the National Alz9 heimer’s Project Act (42 U.S.C. 

10 11225(g)). 

11 ‘‘(2) The provision of budget estimates, without 

12 regard to the probability that such amounts so esti13 mated will be appropriated, including— 

14 ‘‘(A) budget estimates of the amounts re15 quired for the Institutes and Centers of the Na16 tional Institutes of Health to carry out all Alz17 heimer’s activities identified in the strategic re18 search plan developed under paragraph (1); 

19 ‘‘(B) budget estimates of the amounts re20 quired to carry out all identified research pri21 ority actions described in paragraph (1)(B)(vii); 

22 and 

23 ‘‘(C) identification of funds in the existing 

24 budget of the National Institutes of Health to 

25 accomplish Alzheimer’s activities identified by 


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1 the strategic research plan developed under 

2 paragraph (1). 

3 ‘‘(d) PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS.—In providing 

4 for Alzheimer’s research activities, the Director of NIH 

5 and the Directors of Institutes and Centers of the Na6 tional Institutes of Health conducting Alzheimer’s re7 search, shall make available contracts, grants, or coopera8 tive agreements to facilitate partnerships between public 

9 and private entities, which may include private or public 

10 research institutions, institutions of higher education, 

11 medical centers, biotechnology companies, pharmaceutical 

12 companies, disease advocacy organizations, patient advo13 cacy organizations, or academic research institutions. 

14 Such partnerships may be established for, but not limited 

15 to, any of the following purposes: 

16 ‘‘(1) To execute the Alzheimer’s research plan 

17 established under subsection (c)(1). 

18 ‘‘(2) To support the development of diagnostic 

19 technologies and protocols to encourage early diag20 nosis of individuals at risk for Alzheimer’s and to 

21 permit the tracking of the progression of Alzheimer’s 

22 in asymptomatic or symptomatic populations. 

23 ‘‘(3) To develop and diffuse data sharing prac24 tices that accelerate the advancement of knowledge 


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1 and understanding of the pathogenesis, progression, 

2 prevention, and treatment of Alzheimer’s. 

3 ‘‘(e) REPORTING.— 

4 ‘‘(1) The Director of NIH shall annually report 

5 to the Secretary, the Advisory Council on Alz6 heimer’s Research, Care, and Services, and the ap7 propriate committees of jurisdiction in Congress, on 

8 the strategic research plan and budget estimates 

9 under subsection (c). 

10 ‘‘(2) The Director of NIH shall, as part of its 

11 annual request for appropriations to the Office of 

12 Management and Budget, submit to the Office of 

13 Management and Budget and the Committees on 

14 Appropriations of the House of Representatives and 

15 the Senate a report which— 

16 ‘‘(A) includes budget estimates developed 

17 under subsection (c)(2); 

18 ‘‘(B) subject to subparagraph (C), includes 

19 requests for amounts to be appropriated for all 

20 Alzheimer’s activities identified in the strategic 

21 research plan under subsection (c)(1); 

22 ‘‘(C) includes, in the case a request is not 

23 made under subparagraph (C) for an activity 

24 identified in such strategic research plan, a full 


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1 justification explaining why such request was 

2 not made; and 

3 ‘‘(D) analyzes the progress made toward 

4 accelerating breakthroughs in treatments that 

5 would prevent, cure, or slow the progression of 

6 Alzheimer’s and reducing spending on Alz7 heimer’s care under federally funded programs 

8 and families and identifies any remaining hur9 dles to accelerating such breakthroughs or re10 ducing such financial burden.’’. 

11 (b) ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE CENTERS.—Section 

12 445(a)(1) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 

13 285e–2(a)(1)) is amended— 

14 (1) by inserting ‘‘, translational’’ after ‘‘basic’’; 

15 and 

16 (2) by inserting ‘‘and of outcome measures, and 

17 disease management’’ after ‘‘treatment methods’’. 

Æ 


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