TAME (Targeting Aging with Metformin) by American Federation for Aging Research: status and timeline

TAME (Targeting Aging with Metformin)

Prove aging is a treatable disease, establishing a regulatory pathway for drugs that slow aging, not just treat individual age-related conditions.

ResearchStage 1 of 5

Phase III trial awaiting full funding. Target 3,000 adults, 65–79, 6 years. No participants enrolled.

Updated Aug 2026Checked 11 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Enrollment planned to begin (contingent on full funding)

AFAR founded1981Complete.
TAME trial concept developed2015Complete.
FDA pre-IND meeting for TAME2016Complete.
TAME Investigational New Drug (IND) application approved by FDA2017Complete.
Initial funding secured from NIA and AFAR2020Complete.
Enrollment planned to begin (contingent on full funding)Target 2025Not yet reached.

Most important, last 3 months

TAME trial awaiting full funding; no participants enrolled as of August 2026Aug 2026

Upcoming

2025Enrollment planned to begin (contingent on full funding) (next)
2027Full funding commitment (target $45–75 million)
2027Enrollment begins at 14 research sites
2029FDA acceptance of aging as disease indication

Current obstacles

Funding and durationRequires $75 million over years. No pharmaceutical company has incentive (generic, no patent). Relies on philanthropy.
Recruitment and retentionTrials in people 65–79 face high attrition (illness, death). Dropout rates exceed 10%/year. TAME must over-enroll and retain.
Regulatory acceptance of aging as diseaseFDA policy on aging as a disease indication is uncertain. A change in administration or regulations could delay or derail approval.

Physics limits

Metformin's modest effect sizeMetformin slows aging in mice. In people, the effect size is unknown and could be small. TAME is powered to detect 15% delay; smaller effects would be missed.
Generalizability to diverse populationsMost trials enroll predominantly white participants. TAME aims for 25% minorities. If metformin works only in some populations, findings may not generalize.
Compliance and long-term adherenceA 6-year trial requires daily pills for years. Non-adherence reduces power to detect effects. Metformin's gastrointestinal side effects drive non-compliance.

How it works

4 parts

Recruitment

Enrolling healthy older adults

Participants 65–79, no diabetes or cancer, at-risk (overweight, high cholesterol). Screened for glucose, lipids, cognition, physical function.

Randomization

Double-blind placebo control

Randomly assigned to 1,500 mg metformin daily or placebo, double-blind. Neither participants nor staff know the assignment.

Monitoring

Annual visits and blood draws

Participants visit annually for health assessments, blood work and questionnaires. Tracked for major age-related disease.

Analysis

Intent-to-treat analysis

Primary endpoint: time to first age-related disease or death. Secondary endpoints: each disease, physical decline.

Spec sheet

Spec	TAME (Targeting Aging with Metformin)
Target enrollment	3,000 participants^R (reported)
Participant age range	65–79 years^R (reported)
Metformin daily dose (active arm)	1,500 mg^R (reported)
Maximum study duration per participant	6 years^R (reported)
Number of U.S. research sites	14 leading research institutions^R (reported)
Estimated total trial cost	$75 million^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

1 update

Aug 2026

Major: TAME trial awaiting full funding; no participants enrolled as of August 2026BlogFunding

About American Federation for Aging Research

The team behind TAME (Targeting Aging with Metformin)

American Federation for Aging Research

AFAR, aging research funding, gerontology, longevity science

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1981 to fund biomedical research on aging. AFAR supports early-career researchers and multicenter trials investigating aging mechanisms. Its flagship TAME trial tests whether metformin delays aging.

Given over $189 million to support 4,300+ early- and mid-career researchers on aging.
TAME: aims to test if aging itself is treatable via metformin trial in 3,000 healthy adults aged 65–79 over 6 years.
TAME funding incomplete: requires $45–75M total. Metformin is generic; no drug company has financial incentive.

afar.org (opens afar.org)Company profile →

Founded: 198145 yrs
Headquarters: United States
Status: Non-profit
Valuation: non-profit
Works in: LongevityAnti-aging drugs
Coverage: 1 program · 1 updatelatest 1 Aug 2026checked 11 Oct
Partners: National Institute on Aging (NIA) (opens nia.nih.gov)Wake Forest University School of Medicine (opens wakehealth.edu)ARPA-H (opens arpa-h.gov)
People: Nir Barzilai (opens aecom.yu.edu)Director, Institute for Aging Research; TAME PIIrving WrightFounder (1981)

Spec

TAME (Targeting Aging with Metformin)

Target enrollment

3,000 participants^R (reported)

Participant age range

65–79 years^R (reported)

Metformin daily dose (active arm)

1,500 mg^R (reported)

Maximum study duration per participant

6 years^R (reported)

Number of U.S. research sites

14 leading research institutions^R (reported)

Estimated total trial cost

$75 million^R (reported)