For Immediate Release: August 7, 2025
Media Contact: Katelyn Deckelbaum, katelyn [dot] deckelbaum
gwu [dot] edu (katelyn[dot]deckelbaum[at]gwu[dot]edu)
WASHINGTON (August 7, 2025) — It’s been called a “longevity breakthrough” and the “fountain of youth” but a new review by researchers warns the hype around off-label rapamycin use in healthy adults is racing far ahead of the science.
The paper, “What is the Clinical Evidence to Support Off-Label Rapamycin Therapy in Healthy Adults?” takes a critical look at published human trials, analyses, and biomarker modeling to assess whether low-dose rapamycin — originally developed as an immunosuppressant — could play a role in extending human healthspan or lifespan.
“Rapamycin has generated significant excitement in the aging research community because of its demonstrated ability to extend lifespan in multiple animal models,” said lead author Jacob Hands, medical student at the George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences. “But when it comes to healthy human adults, the data is still very preliminary. We simply don’t have enough evidence to recommend its use as a longevity therapy at this time.”
Key Takeaways:
- Trials show that rapamycin extends lifespan in mice, but there is no clear evidence from human studies that it can do the same for healthy adults.
- Some small studies show that low-dose rapamycin may improve immune function and markers of aging, but the results are inconsistent and based on limited data.
- Larger, well-designed studies are urgently needed to confirm whether the drug works as an anti-aging medicine or to see if the possible benefits outweigh the risk of side effects.
Hands and Leigh Frame, director of Integrative Medicine at GW and corresponding author of the study, caution against premature use of this drug. “If you are a healthy adult considering rapamycin to live longer or healthier, there is no strong scientific proof yet that the drug works for that purpose,” they say.
The paper“What is the Clinical Evidence to Support Off-Label Rapamycin Therapy in Healthy Adults?” was published in Aging.
-GW-