The TAME trial was supposed to answer whether metformin can delay aging in humans. As of 2026, it is still running with no efficacy results — but its regulatory legacy is already reshaping the field.
The TAME trial is the most consequential aging study currently running in humans — not because it will definitively prove metformin extends lifespan, but because it created the regulatory framework for treating aging as a clinical target. As of early 2026, enrollment is ongoing. No efficacy results have been published.
This is a focused status update on where the trial stands. For metformin's mechanisms and the broader scientific case for and against it as an anti-aging drug, see our Metformin for Longevity review.
TAME — Targeting Aging with Metformin — is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial testing whether metformin can delay the onset of age-related diseases in non-diabetic adults.
| Parameter | Detail |
| Principal Investigator | Nir Barzilai, M.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine |
| Coordinating Center | Wake Forest University School of Medicine |
| Target Enrollment | 3,000 participants |
| Age Range | 65–79 years |
| Drug | Metformin 1,500 mg/day (extended-release) vs placebo |
| Follow-up | 4–6 years |
| Trial Sites | ~14 centers across the United States |
| Primary Funder | AFAR + private donors |
| Primary Endpoint | First new occurrence of: cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, cancer, or death |
The primary endpoint is what made TAME historically significant before a single dose was given. The FDA agreed that aging — measured by a composite of aging-related diseases rather than any single illness — can be a clinical trial endpoint. That decision means any company can now design a study that directly targets aging as an indication. TAME created the template.
TAME won't produce efficacy results before 2027–2028 at the earliest. For people who want to target the same AMPK pathway metformin engages, berberine is the closest over-the-counter option. Multiple head-to-head RCTs have found berberine comparable to metformin 500 mg for fasting glucose and HbA1c reduction. It engages the same core mechanism without a prescription.
See our berberine buyer's guide for full bioavailability comparisons, brand rankings, and dosing protocols.
Completing TAME requires approximately $75 million. Securing that amount has been the central difficulty throughout the trial's life.
The structure is the problem: TAME tests a cheap, off-patent generic drug. There is no proprietary molecule to commercialize, which means pharmaceutical companies have little financial incentive to sponsor it. Funding has depended on a combination of philanthropic contributions through AFAR, NIA grants, and private donors — a slower path than any industry-sponsored trial.
Congressional budget uncertainty added pressure. Proposed NIA funding cuts in the 2025–2026 appropriations cycle created uncertainty over federal aging research broadly, including studies that depend on NIA support.
ARPA-H — the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, established in 2022 on a DARPA model — has emerged as a potential institutional partner. ARPA-H is specifically designed to fund high-risk, high-reward health research outside conventional NIH grant mechanisms.
If ARPA-H formally commits funding to TAME or to aging trials more broadly, it would represent a meaningful shift: from philanthropy-dependent research to a dedicated federal mechanism for longevity science.
ARPA-H funding decision. A formal commitment to TAME would signal that the federal government is treating longevity medicine as a priority.
Eli Lilly's GLP-1 aging trial. Lilly is reportedly planning a clinical trial using TAME's FDA-approved aging composite endpoint — testing whether a GLP-1 agonist can delay age-related disease clusters. If registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, it would mark the first major pharmaceutical company formally pursuing an aging indication.
NIA appropriations. Congressional budget decisions for FY 2026–2027 will directly affect the NIA research portfolio, including ongoing aging studies.
Interim biomarker publications. Before primary efficacy results arrive, expect sub-studies and mechanistic analyses from TAME sites in journals like *Aging Cell*, *Nature Aging*, and the *Journals of Gerontology*.
TAME is real, running, and scientifically important — but it hasn't produced the efficacy results the longevity community has been waiting for. The funding path has been harder than expected, the timeline has extended, and the institutional picture has grown more complex.
What TAME has already delivered may be its most durable contribution: it changed what is legally possible in aging medicine. Whether metformin proves effective or simply clears the path for better compounds, the trial has permanently altered the landscape.
On metformin for longevity today. If you have diabetes or prediabetes, metformin is well-supported for metabolic health. If you're metabolically healthy, the case for off-label use remains genuinely uncertain — and active exercisers have specific reason for caution, given evidence that metformin blunts some training adaptations. The responsible position is to wait for TAME results.
For those who want AMPK activation without a prescription in the meantime, berberine is the closest over-the-counter parallel. See our berberine buyer's guide for forms and doses worth using.
Is the TAME trial still running in 2026?
Yes. The trial remains active and is still enrolling. No efficacy data has been published as of early 2026.
When will TAME results be available?
The trial has a 4–6 year follow-up period. Primary results are unlikely before 2027–2028 at the earliest. Interim biomarker papers will appear before that.
Who is running the TAME trial?
Nir Barzilai, M.D., at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine is the principal investigator. Wake Forest University School of Medicine coordinates the multi-site study.
What drug is being tested?
Metformin 1,500 mg/day (extended-release) versus placebo, in adults aged 65–79 without diabetes.
What made TAME historically significant?
The FDA agreed to accept a composite aging endpoint — cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, cancer, or death — as the primary outcome. This created the first regulatory framework for treating aging itself as a clinical indication.
Can I take metformin for longevity now?
Metformin is FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes and can be prescribed off-label. Some longevity physicians do prescribe it to non-diabetic patients, but the evidence is observational and the TAME trial exists precisely to resolve the question. Active exercisers should discuss the blunted training adaptation signal with their physician.