A Note from Our CEO: The True Cost of Parkinson's
CEO Todd Sherer blogged on Forbes.com about new models of collaboration.
Editor's Note: For more Foundation news and research updates, read the Spring/Summer 2019 edition of The Fox Focus, our biannual newsletter.
Our soon-to-be-released economic burden study clearly lays out the stakes in Parkinson's. It provides a comprehensive picture of the toll the disease takes.
The study shows that costs of Parkinson's to our nation are nearly double previous estimates and includes medical costs like hospitalizations and other ways the disease affects finances, such as missed work days and unpaid care.
The burden of Parkinson's affects patients, their families and their friends. This is why our mission to cure Parkinson's is so critical. For a patient, "cure" can mean a lot of things. A drug to stop Parkinson's from progressing may be a cure. But many patients, including Michael J. Fox, assert that a therapy to effectively treat symptoms over the long term without disabling side effects would be tantamount to a cure in their view.
Since 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved nine new drugs and three devices for Parkinson's to address serious symptoms of Parkinson's. Now, with momentum and a growing community of researchers on our side, we have to keep pushing forward.
The Michael J. Fox Foundation's (MJFF) research strategy is focused on accelerating the most innovative ideas to cure Parkinson's. To do this, we fund research to define the causes of disease and identify new drug targets. And at the same time, we support research to measure and treat the causes and symptoms of the disease."
MJFF approaches Parkinson's research from the most important perspective, that of patients. Our Fox Insight study was created to hear directly from people with Parkinson's and act on what we discover. In addition, patients told us they needed more and better ways to deal with gait and balance problems. We issued a call for projects and asked patients to review them to make sure they would meet their needs.
We thank all of you who provide your valuable experiences through Fox Insight and help us in so many other ways. Your generosity is inspiring -- from donating to supporting research to volunteering for clinical trials and joining Team Fox -- you make success possible.
Thank you for all you do.
Todd Sherer, PhD
Building the Base of Movement Disorder Specialists
Watch Now: At Verily Grand Rounds, Michael J. Fox and Todd Sherer, PhD, Share the Parkinson's Experience and Heartening Progress toward a Cure
A Note from Our CEO: Driving Research with Patient Power