After the National Council of Switzerland had come out strongly in favour of a national research programme on Alzheimer's disease, the Council of States has now rejected the motion (motion 18.3835). The Council of States is the upper house of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland, with the National Council being the lower house. Alzheimer Switzerland, Swiss Memory Clinics and the Synapsis Foundation - Alzheimer Research Switzerland have expressed their regret at this decision, in a press release dated 14 March 2022. "In view of the increasing number of people with a diagnosis of dementia, the impact on those affected, and the societal challenges, measures in the areas of research, prevention and support are urgently needed", they stress. Currently, some 146,500 people in Switzerland have dementia, with approximately 60% of these cases being caused by Alzheimer's disease. The risk increases with age and, with a rapidly aging population, it is estimated that 315,400 people in Switzerland will be affected by Alzheimer's disease or another form of dementia by 2050. In view of the impact on those affected, the costs to the health system and the shortage of qualified personnel, the three organisations believe that there is an urgent need for long-term national research into Alzheimer's disease, as called for in motion 18.3835 by former National Councillor Eymann.
While the National Council clearly supported the motion, the Council of States rejecting it is "a missed opportunity to advance research and send a strong signal to the many people with dementia and their families". In the release, they jointly call for rapid, sustainable and effective research and point out that only one project of the National Research Programme "Health Systems" focuses on dementia, but it concentrates on diagnosis. Neither the National Dementia Strategy nor the National Dementia Platform have the financial resources to conduct research on Alzheimer's disease. In view of the current and future societal challenges, there is also an urgent need for preventive action, they note, while early detection programmes could reduce the progression to severe forms. Furthermore, people with dementia and their families are often left to fend for themselves after diagnosis, whereas they ought to benefit from dementia-specific counselling and support services, recognised by law and therefore financially covered.
