Longevity clinics are rapidly growing in number, with an estimated several hundred operating worldwide, attracting primarily wealthy clients. These clinics aim to bridge traditional medicine with experimental approaches like biological age testing, but their offerings vary significantly.
A survey of 82 clinics revealed that many offer treatments with unproven efficacy. For instance, 38% offer facial rejuvenation, 35% offer hair loss treatments, and 28% offer Botox injections, blurring the lines between longevity and aesthetic medicine. A significant portion, over a third, also provides stem-cell treatments despite a lack of evidence for their anti-aging benefits and associated risks.
Surprisingly, most clinics prescribe medicines off-label, using drugs approved for specific conditions to target aging, which carries risks and lacks scientific backing for longevity. Despite annual costs ranging from $10,000 to $150,000, only 39% of surveyed clinics reported turning a profit, with 30% breaking even and 16% operating at a loss.
Some companies are developing and offering highly experimental treatments. For example, Minicircle plans to sell an unapproved gene therapy designed to increase klotho protein for $25,000 in countries like Honduras, Panama, and the Bahamas, circumventing stringent FDA trials. Another program, RoseBar, offers diagnostics, consultations, and "biohacking recommendations" for €14,260 per year, promising clients they can be "younger" in a year.
The growing field also sees regulatory challenges. A US FDA panel, with members tied to the peptide industry, controversially recommended allowing six out of seven popular, unproven peptides to be legally available without standard testing, through a reclassification method. This highlights a trend of bypassing established safety and efficacy protocols in the pursuit of longevity solutions.
