Healthy Returns: Healthspan Investment Comes of Age

The world is facing a demographic crisis, driven by unhealthy aging: societies across the globe are rapidly graying while fertility rates are plummeting. The result will be enormous elderly populations combined with a paucity of “working-age” people to support them, setting the stage for inter-generational conflict and economic stagnation.

The solution, indeed, the imperative—and the opportunity for biopharma investors—is to expand the healthy, productive years of life, aka healthspan.

Previously seen as niche, healthspan research will increasingly find a spot at the center of the biopharma universe and could drive a new wave of R&D innovation. The potential returns to investors are self-evident, so it’s no surprise that a variety of healthspan-focused funds have been raised over the last few years. Pharma and biotech companies are starting to see this as more than metabolic disease or vanity “longevity” projects but rather a distinct development opportunity. This panel will explain why the current wave of healthspan innovation is different from past efforts to extend human longevity, explore hurdles and how they can be overcome, uncover key emerging areas of investment focus, and predict what’s next for this exciting and critical area.