A new £48 million industry partnership has been announced to support dementia research and speed up the development of new treatments. The government is investing £33 million through the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme, with additional funding from Bristol Myers Squibb, GSK, and Gates Ventures.
This investment will back The BARBARA Alliance, a UK-wide partnership aiming to address the challenge of recruiting enough people into clinical studies. The alliance's flagship programme, BARBARA, will establish a single, coordinated platform linking the UK’s health data, research, and clinical trial capabilities.
Dementia is a significant health and social care challenge in the UK, affecting nearly one million people. The condition is estimated to cost the UK more than £42 billion annually, with the majority of these costs related to social care and unpaid care.
The Prime Minister stated that dementia research will be a national priority and expressed hope that Britain can lead in finding new treatments. This investment is part of a wider mission to improve support for people living with dementia and their families, alongside plans for a National Care Service.