The Fox Focus Spring/Summer 2019

BRINGING MORE THERAPIES TO MORE PEOPLE on page 4 FOCUS ON PARKINSON’S New Study Reveals $52-Billion Annual Economic Burden of Parkinson’s MORE THAN ONE MILLION AMERICANS ARE living with Parkinson’s disease (PD). We know the disease’s effect on the body, but what about the wallet? For many years, the financial impact of the disease has been vastly underestimated. The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF), with Parkinson’s Foundation, American Parkinson Disease Association, and Parkinson Alliance, as well as ACADIA, Adamas, AbbVie, Acorda and Biogen, commissioned a new study to estimate the economic burden of PD in the United States. This study provides the most comprehensive assessment of the total economic burden on patients, care partners, payers, employers, healthcare systems and government programs. A noteworthy finding is the calculation that the total cost of Parkinson’s is $51.9 billion every year, with $25.4 billion attributable to direct medical costs (e.g., hospitalizations, medication) and $26.5 billion in non-medical costs like missed work, lost wages, early forced retirement and family caregiver time. This nearly doubles previous estimates and, for the first time, includes the various ways Parkinson’s affects a person’s finances and their (continued on page 2) 05 Spring/Summer 2019 Research News Briefs In This Issue 08 12 18 Parkinson's Researchers Take Capitol Hill Dr. Dolhun Talks PD: Boost Your Brain Health Milestone for The New England Parkinson's Ride Spring/Summer 2019 THE FOX