An estimated 37 million individuals worldwide and 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease. It is only one of the many conditions that can cause cognitive impairment, which affects 15% of those over 65 and 40% of those over 80 years of age. Cognitive impairment costs, both direct and indirect, are estimated at over $100B annually according to a 2004 Harvard Medical School study. That number, already quite staggering, is expected to grow as the baby boomer population ages. While the cause of Alzheimer’s disease still remains largely a mystery, new treatments are progressing through the pharmaceutical pipeline.
