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Healthspan: A global imperative for humanityʼs future Healthspan science has the potential to transform ageing from a burden into an opportunity for all
Dr Mehmood Khan, CEO, Hevolution Foundation
A round the world, people are living longer than ever before. However, too often those later years are marked by poor health and decline. Healthspan (the years lived in good health) offers a different future, one where quality of life keeps pace with length of life. Once little known, healthspan is now at the centre of global attention, uniting scientists, innovators, policymakers and the public in a shared ambition: to ensure that ageing well is possible for everyone, everywhere. As populations around the world age at an unprecedented rate, the urgency of advancing healthspan science is undeniable. By 2050, the number of people over 60 is expected to more than double, surpassing 2 billion. Yet on average, humanity continues to lose nearly a decade of life to poor health in later years. This gap between lifespan and healthspan is exacting a staggering toll on individuals and families, healthcare systems and national economies. FROM CONCEPT TO MOVEMENT The Hevolution Foundation was established with a straightforward mission: to convene and catalyse the healthspan science field, extending healthy human lifespan for the benefit of all. In just three years, we have allocated over $400 million across research grants, partnerships and biotech investments
We have supported nearly 200 grants and 230 grantees, launched more than 25 partnerships, and made early investments in biotech companies with the potential to deliver transformative therapies. We fund New Investigator Awards to attract the brightest young scientists into the field. We are also proud to have funded Saudi Arabia's first generation of ageing scientists. Beyond funding, Hevolution has convened the global conversation. Through the world's largest convening of its kind, the Global Healthspan Summit (held every other year since 2023, with participation from leaders in government, science, business and international non-profit organisations, as well as biotech and big pharma), we have opened new doors to global-scale collaboration. HEALTHSPAN AS ECONOMIC POLICY The case for healthspan is scientific and profoundly economic. Longer lives lived in poor health strain every aspect of society, from healthcare budgets to workforce productivity. Conversely, adding even a single year of good health to older populations would unlock trillions in economic value. Healthspan is not a niche concern, it is an economic imperative. Our second Global Healthspan Report highlights that momentum is growing. Investments in the field more than
to accelerate the fields of healthspan and ageing biology globally. This makes us the largest philanthropic funder of healthspan science globally. This work is part of a Kingdom of Saudi Arabia–led commitment to advancing healthspan as a global priority, reflecting the country's growing role in shaping solutions to humanity's most pressing health and economic challenges.
DR MEHMOOD KHAN Dr Mehmood Khan is the CEO of Hevolution Foundation. Previously, he was the vice chairman and chief scientific officer of global research and development at PepsiCo and president of global R&D at Takeda Pharmaceuticals.
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Health: A Political Choice – The Future of Health in a Fractured World
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