To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on funding for new research into dementia prevention medication.
Answered on
23 April 2025
The Department delivers dementia research via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR delivers a range of research on dementia prevention, through direct funding of projects as well as investment in wider infrastructure.
Research supported by the NIHR’s Oxford Applied Research Collaboration reported that a new shingles vaccine, Shingrex, is protective against dementia. Additional research supported by the NIHR’s Southwest Peninsula Applied Research Collaboration examined health data from over 130 million individuals, and has shown that common medications like anti-inflammatory drugs, antiviral medications, and antibiotics are associated with a reduced risk of people developing dementia.
The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including dementia prevention medications. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Welcoming applications on dementia to all NIHR programmes enables maximum flexibility both in terms of the amount of research funding a particular area can be awarded, and the type of research which can be funded.