Advertisement

  1. National

PM calls for 'immediate action to develop dementia drugs'

David Cameron has called for real action by drug companies to tackle what he called one of the greatest enemies of humanity - dementia. The Prime Minister pointed to a market failure, with the launch of only three dementia drugs in 15 years.

View all 8 updates ›

Dementia 'one of the greatest enemies of humanity'

David Cameron will launch a verbal attack on dementia, dubbing the degenerative condition "one of the greatest enemies of humanity".

In a speech at an international dementia conference in London, the Prime Minister will say:

The truth is that dementia now stands alongside cancer as one of the greatest enemies of humanity.

In the UK alone there are around 800,000 people living with dementia, worldwide that number is 40 million - and it is set to double every 20 years.

We have to fight to cure it. I know some people will say that it's not possible, but we have seen with cancer what medicine can achieve.

We first need to tackle head-on the market failure perilously undermining dementia research and drug development.

– David Cameron

More top news