ACT NOW: FIRST HUMAN ANTI-AGING CLINICAL TRIAL

[Michael R]

All:

You may or may not be aware, but a couple of years ago Dr. Nir Barzilai proposed a trial to test metformin as an "anti-aging" drug in normal aging people (see press below). Late last year, FDA gave the go-ahead, with the provisional indication of "multimorbidity". Now the Global Healthspan Policy Institute, a lobbying group representing the Alliance for Aging Research and its partners, including SENS Research Foundation:

http://www.agingresearch.org/Home

http://healthspancampaign.org/


... is asking for scientific organizations and individuals to sign on to a campaign to push Congress to fund the TAME study, in THIS YEAR's appropriation cycle. I last night got an email from the American Aging Association (AGE) indicating that they need organizational endorsements and individual petition-signers to get on board by TUESDAY, MARCH 1.

Public stuff from GHPI:
https://healthspanpolicy.org/metformin-campaign/
http://tame.healthspanpolicy.org/

Some in-depth press:
http://www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/news-and-analysis/features/why-the-use-of-anti-ageing-drugs-could-delay-the-development-of-chronic-diseases/20200663.article

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/09/feature-man-who-wants-beat-back-aging

http://www.wsj.com/articles/scientists-new-goal-growing-old-without-disease-1426542180

Now, it seems clear to me that metformin is a pretty unpromising candidate, except in the slightly cynical sense that mild overweight and insulin resistance is so common in the 70+ crowd that they may get some good-looking results that have little to do with even messing-with-metabolism on aging per se. But the sheer fact of having a trial funded and going that targets aging would potentially move the needle on public perception, and unless it goes disastrously wrong should help cement FDA's one-time decision to authorize such a trial into a precedent, eliminating the problem that "aging" is not currently a "disease" against which pharma can develop drugs.

So, speaking as an individual and not in my role in the CR Society Board pending any eleventh-hour decision on an official organizational endorsement, I would like to strongly urge everyone to sign the petition — or (better yet, since form-letter electronic petitions generally get ignored) reach out directly to your congressional reps via their official websites:

http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

... via both their own, on-site email form and their Congressional office telephone, urging them to support and use the petition letter (click on the link in the petition that says "this personalized letter") only as model language, revising it individually to express your support on the key point: "I urge you to I urge you to support the funding of landmark medical research in the "Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program" in the Department of Defense's budget, particularly in support of the new TAME/Metformin study, to open the door to a new class of medications that protect and restore the healthy function and productivity of the human healthspan – our years of health."

Again, they need this all in their arsenal by THIS TUESDAY.

[Sthira]

Cool, thanks for the head's up! I contacted my senators and representative individually, and hope all y'all do the same. It only takes a few minutes -- urge your friends and relatives, too!

[Michael R]

Super — thanks, Sthira! May thousands follow!

[Saul]

Hi Michael!

 

I signed the petition.  I'll reach the websites of my Representative and Senator when I have some spare time.

 

 

  --  Saul

[Saul]

And I emailed my representative and both Senators.

 

(Ugh!  They're all Democrats! )

 

  --  Saul