Jim O’Neill, appointed deputy secretary of HHS, brings experience from the Thiel Foundation and SENS Research Foundation. He supports streamlined FDA approval pathways, deregulation of medical-device algorithms, and libertarian “freedom cities” to accelerate clinical access and innovation in longevity research.

Key points

• O’Neill’s HHS deputy role gives him oversight of NIH, CDC, and FDA policy on biomedical research and regulation.
• He advocates lowering FDA approval thresholds and expanding Right to Try to permit phase I-only experimental therapies.
• He champions ‘freedom cities’ and seasteading initiatives with permissive regulatory regimes to accelerate longevity innovation.

Montana’s new legislation, championed by longevity enthusiasts and policymakers, allows licensed medical clinics to administer and sell unapproved anti-aging therapies that have completed only phase I clinical trials, expanding right-to-try beyond terminal patients. The law creates an annual licensing framework, informed consent requirements, and protections for prescribing physicians to foster a domestic hub for experimental longevity research and medical tourism.

Key points

• Permits licensed clinics to sell senolytic and gene therapies post-phase I trials without full FDA approval
• Introduces annual licensing, enhanced informed consent, and legal protections for providers under expanded Right to Try provisions
• Requires in-state drug manufacturing, profit-sharing for local healthcare, and aims to establish Montana as a medical tourism hub

Why it matters: This law shifts drug-approval norms by granting early patient access to experimental anti-aging therapies, potentially accelerating longevity research.