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Press ReleaseNew Resource Focuses On The Growing Burden Of Osteoporosis
NEW RESOURCE FOCUSES ON THE GROWING BURDEN OF OSTEOPOROSIS
AND VALUE OF MEDICAL INNOVATION
Washington, DC— Today the Alliance for Aging Research, in partnership with the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF), released a new volume of The Silver Book®: Chronic Disease and Medical Innovation in an Aging Nation. The latest addition to The Silver Book series focuses on the most prevalent bone disease in the U.S.—osteoporosis. The volume was released at a Capitol Hill briefing which featured medical and economic experts and patients. In addition, Reps. Shelley Berkley (D-NV) and Michael Burgess (R-TX), champions of legislation to promote prevention and testing for the disease, supported the briefing.
The Silver Book is published by the non-profit Alliance for Aging Research drawing upon over 400 independent studies and reports on chronic disease and prospects for medical innovations to mitigate the burden. The Silver Book currently catalogues some 1,500 statistics that outline a coming “Silver Tsunami” with the aging U.S. population.
As a driving force behind the 2004 Surgeon General’s Report on Bone Health and Osteoporosis and most recently the Summit for a National Action Plan for Bone Health, NOF is a natural partner for the release of this volume of The Silver Book. NOF is the leading independent organization solely dedicated to osteoporosis and bone health and alerts the public and health care professionals about the importance of bone health and the seriousness of osteoporosis and fractures.
Specific insights into osteoporosis in the latest volume include the following:
- Osteoporosis affects 10 million Americans over the age of 50, and close to 34 million more have low bone mass which increases their risk for the disease.
- Half of all women and up to one in four men over the age of 50 will experience an osteoporosis-related fracture during their lifetime.
- Fractures resulting from osteoporosis can cost individuals more than $81,000 during their lifetime, totaling some $19 billion a year for Americans.
- Osteoporosis is estimated to cost the nation $25.3 billion annually by 2025 unless we find better ways to prevent and treat the disease.
Publication of The Silver Book: Osteoporosis is supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Novartis.
“We’ve made a lot of progress in developing better ways to diagnose and treat the disease, and we need to continue to educate people of all ages about osteoporosis because prevention and early intervention are so important,” said Rep. Berkley, who was diagnosed with the disease in 1998.
“Osteoporosis is a serious and silent disease that affects millions of people who risk fractures that can lead to loss of independence and even death,” said Leo Schargorodski, executive director of NOF. “We are pleased to partner with the Alliance on The Silver Book and to shine a light on the growing burden of this disease.”
“Two and a half years from now, the Baby Boom generation starts to become the largest Medicare generation in history,” explained Daniel Perry, executive director of the Alliance. “Our best defense against the Silver Tsunami is to play to America’s strengths in scientific innovation and technological ingenuity. We hope that The Silver Book will become the ‘go-to’ resource for those who develop health policy.”
To encourage national policies to promote investments in innovation, the Alliance for Aging Research launched The Silver Book: Chronic Disease and Medical Innovation in an Aging Nation in 2006. The initial volume focused on cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and neurological diseases and has quickly become a trusted resource for health policy practitioners. A second volume on vision loss was released in September 2007 in partnership with the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research.
All of the data are cited with original sources and available online. The online version is a searchable database that is continuously updated as new information is published and that allows users to submit data. Users can also subscribe to the RSS feed.
The new volume on osteoporosis and the other volumes may be accessed online at www.silverbook.org.
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Founded in 1986, the Alliance for Aging Research is a nonprofit, independent organization dedicated to improving the health and independence of aging Americans through public and private funding of medical research and geriatric education. The Alliance combines the interest of top scientists, public officials, business executives, and foundation leaders to promote a greater national investment in research and new technologies that will prepare our nation for the coming senior boom, and improve the quality of life for today’s older generation
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Established in 1984, the National Osteoporosis Foundation is the nation’s leading voluntary health organization solely dedicated to osteoporosis and bone health. Our mission is to prevent osteoporosis and related fractures, to promote lifelong bone health, to help improve the lives of those affected by osteoporosis, and to find a cure through programs of awareness, advocacy, public and health professional education and research. For more information on osteoporosis and bone health, contact NOF online at www.nof.org or by telephone (800) 223-9994. -
Press ReleaseResource Highlights Age-Related Eye Disease and Value of Innovation
NEW RESOURCE HIGHLIGHTS THE BURDEN OF AGE-RELATED EYE DISEASE AND UNDERSCORES THE VALUE OF INNOVATION
Washington, DC—The Alliance for Aging Research, in partnership with the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (NAEVR), released a new volume of The Silver Book®: Chronic Disease and Medical Innovation in an Aging Nation dedicated to age-related eye disease--The Silver Book®: Vision Loss. This volume was released at a Capitol Hill Briefing during Worldwide Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Awareness Week. The briefing was held in conjunction with AMD Alliance International, the Congressional Vision Caucus, and Prevent Blindness America.
As the U.S. population ages and the prevalence of chronic diseases increases, health care policymakers are searching for ways to curb spending. In order to promote national policies that encourage investments in innovation rather than short-term cost-cutting and health care rationing, in 2006 the Alliance for Aging Research launched The Silver Book: Chronic Disease and Medical Innovation in An Aging Nation, an almanac of compelling statistics that spotlight the mounting burden of chronic diseases and the promise of innovation in mitigating that burden. The original volume of The Silver Book focuses on cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and neurological diseases and has quickly become a trusted resource for health policy practitioners.
More than 38 million Americans age 40 and older are blind, visually impaired, or have an age-related eye disease. The economic impact of adult vision loss is also significant with the United States’ costs exceeding $51 billion—a huge share of the $68 billion annual cost of all vision impairment and eye disease in the U.S. The Silver Book: Vision Loss highlights this and other important data on the incidence and costs associated with AMD, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma—which along with cataract are the eye diseases that disproportionately affect older Americans. This volume also looks at the value of medical innovation in vision research. All of the data are cited with original sources and available on-line at www.silverbook.org/visionloss. The online version is a searchable database that is continuously updated as new information is published and that allows users to submit data.
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Founded in 1986, the Alliance for Aging Research is a nonprofit, independent organization dedicated to improving the health and independence of aging Americans through public and private funding of medical research and geriatric education. The Alliance combines the interest of top scientists, public officials, business executives, and foundation leaders to promote a greater national investment in research and new technologies that will prepare our nation for the coming senior boom, and improve the quality of life for today’s older generation
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The National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (NAEVR) is a nonprofit advocacy coalition comprised of 55 professional, consumer, and industry organizations involved in eye and vision research. NAEVR’s goal is to achieve the best vision for all Americans through advocacy and public education for eye and vision research sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Eye Institute (NEI), and other federal research entities. Visit NAEVR’s web site at www.eyeresearch.org. -
Press ReleaseAlliance Commends Senate Committee for Increase in FDA Funding
ALLIANCE FOR AGING RESEARCH COMMENDS SENATE COMMITTEE FOR INCREASE IN FDA FUNDING
Washington, DC—The Alliance for Aging Research today commends the Senate Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee for including a $186 million increase for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in its Fiscal Year 2008 appropriations bill. This increase over the Agency’s Fiscal Year 2007 funding level will begin to reverse the budget shortfalls it has experienced in recent years.
The Alliance is particularly pleased with the emphasis placed on sustaining the FDA’s Critical Path Initiative. The $22.9 million set aside for Critical Path will allow for better evaluation and delivery of breakthrough treatments to patients suffering from a host of age-related diseases and conditions including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and arthritis. It also will enable the FDA to more accurately gauge the safety and efficacy of new therapies and technologies in the future.
Beginning in 2011, America’s Baby Boomers start to become the largest Medicare generation in history. If this generation ages with the same incidence of chronic health problems as today’s elderly, their burden of disease will cripple the health care system. “It is critical that policymakers make a serious commitment to reinvesting in the FDA now,” said Daniel Perry, executive director of the Alliance for Aging Research. “We applaud Chairman Kohl and Ranking Member Bennett’s efforts on behalf of the FDA and believe that their continued leadership will help ensure the health and well-being of our aging population.”
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Founded in 1986, the Alliance for Aging Research is a nonprofit, independent organization dedicated to improving the health and independence of aging Americans through public and private funding of medical research and geriatric education. The Alliance combines the interest of top scientists, public officials, business executives, and foundation leaders to promote a greater national investment in research and new technologies that will prepare our nation for the coming senior boom, and improve the quality of life for today’s older generation
