Is This Really Possible? Legend has it that, more than 500 years ago, Ponce de Leon sought what Florida natives believed was the Fountain of Youth. Of course, no such fountain was found. Yet, that hasn’t discouraged people to search for ways to extend human lifespans. Over the past five centuries, this has been a fruitless endeavor. However, recent scientific breakthroughs have recently led to the birth of a number of– companies with some big name backers like Jeff Bezos.
To do this, a company would have to prove that their drug extends lives. You can’t test such a drug in young or even middle-aged people as these groups still have considerable life left assuming a life-expectancy of 80 years. Thus, you would probably need to study the drug in healthy 70 year-olds and then follow these subjects for a decade or more to see if those on drug live meaningfully longer than those in the placebo group.
The FDA would likely set a very high bar for safety and efficacy for such a study. Unlike studying patients with heart disease, here you would be testing your drug on 70 year-olds who are relatively healthy. Yet, these patients are entering a decade when they become more susceptible to various cancers, neurological disorders, cardiovascular diseases, etc. You would have to be certain that your drug was no different from placebo when studying these safety parameters.
And then, of course, you must convince payers to reimburse for such a drug – a drug that will probably command a high price. Payers would set a high bar as to who should be eligible for such a drug much as now happens with the PCSK9 inhibitors, the potent LDL-cholesterol lowering drugs which have been proven to reduce heart attacks and strokes in patients with heart disease.
So, when reading the hype about new scientific breakthroughs that offer the promise of the “Fountain of Youth”, admire the science. But keep in mind that it’s going to be a long while before such drugs are actually available.