VITAL-H by UT Health San Antonio: status and timeline

VITAL-H

First Phase 3 trial testing FDA-approved drugs (rapamycin, semaglutide, dapagliflozin) to delay age-related decline in healthy older adults.

PilotStage 3 of 5

Enrolling 726 healthy adults; three-year trial with three drugs versus placebo.

Updated Mar 2026Checked 10 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Target enrollment of 726 adults ages 60–65

VITAL-H trial activation and enrollment beginsQ2 2026Complete.
Target enrollment of 726 adults ages 60–65Target Q4 2027Not yet reached.
Three-year participant follow-upTarget 2030Not yet reached.

Most important updates

ARPA-H awards UT Health San Antonio $38 million to lead VITAL-H, the first Phase 3 trial testing drugs to extend healthspanMar 2026

Upcoming

Q2 2027Six-month interim safety analysis (next)
Q4 2027Target enrollment of 726 adults ages 60–65
Q4 2027Enrollment phase completion
2030Three-year participant follow-up

Current obstacles

Healthy subject recruitmentFinding healthy older adults requires broader outreach; focus on South Texas and Hispanic communities.
Safety monitoringDrugs with known safety profiles are tested at low doses in healthy aging adults.

Physics limits

Aging heterogeneityAging varies widely between individuals due to genetics, lifestyle, and disease history. A single three-drug cocktail may not be optimal for all participants.
Biomarker predictive powerMost aging biomarkers correlate with disease risk, but causality is still uncertain. Changes in biomarkers may not translate to meaningful healthspan extension.
Long-term follow-up challengesClinical trials of aging interventions require years of follow-up to measure meaningful outcomes. Participant dropout and loss to follow-up are significant risks.

How it works

3 parts

Drug selection

Repurposed FDA-approved drugs

Three drugs (rapamycin, semaglutide, dapagliflozin) chosen based on aging research and existing safety data.

Randomization

Blinded assignment

Participants are randomly assigned to one of four arms (three drugs or placebo) without knowing their assignment, with stratification by site and sex.

Outcome measurement

Healthspan biomarkers

The trial measures functional decline, cognitive decline, physical performance, cardiovascular outcomes, and aging biomarkers over three years.

Spec sheet

Spec	VITAL-H
Target enrollment	726 adults ages 60–65^R (reported)
Study arms	4 (rapamycin, semaglutide, dapagliflozin, placebo)^R (reported)
Follow-up duration	3 years^R (reported)
ARPA-H contract value	$38 million^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

1 update

Mar 2026

Major: ARPA-H awards UT Health San Antonio $38 million to lead VITAL-H, the first Phase 3 trial testing drugs to extend healthspanPressFunding

About UT Health San Antonio

The team behind VITAL-H

UT Health San Antonio

VITAL-H trial, PROSPR, ARPA-H aging research, healthspan

UT Health San Antonio leads VITAL-H, the first Phase 3 trial testing FDA-approved drugs to extend healthspan in healthy older adults.

The Barshop Institute, founded 2001, leads aging research at UT Health San Antonio.
VITAL-H tests three FDA-approved drugs for slowing aging in healthy older adults.
A $38M ARPA-H trial enrolling 726 people with focus on Hispanic communities.

uthscsa.edu (opens uthscsa.edu)Company profile →

Founded: 200125 yrs
Headquarters: United States
Status: Public
Valuation: public
Raised: $38M1 round
Last round: ARPA-H PROSPR Program · $38MMar 2026
Works in: LongevityAnti-aging drugs
Coverage: 1 program · 1 updatelatest 1 Mar 2026checked 10 Oct
Partners: Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) (opens arpa-h.gov)University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (opens uthscsa.edu)

Spec

VITAL-H

Target enrollment

726 adults ages 60–65^R (reported)

Study arms

4 (rapamycin, semaglutide, dapagliflozin, placebo)^R (reported)

Follow-up duration

3 years^R (reported)

ARPA-H contract value

$38 million^R (reported)