There are three phases to drug trials. Phases 1 and 2 would not need to run long enough for people to live longer, they would only need to run long enough to co

There are three phases to drug trials. Phases 1 and 2 would not need to run long enough for people to live longer, they would only need to run long enough to confirm the drug isn't dangerous and does something (such as suppression of some gene related to aging). Only the Phase 3 trial, which proves efficacy, would need to run long enough to see people's lives extended, and even then it only needs to show some statistically significant improvement over the baseline, which is currently zero. Most drugs take 10-15 years to pass clinical trials, so unless this is a drug that needs to be administered in youth it should be pretty typical. Different drugs can be tested in parallel (though obviously lessons learned take time to be incorporated). That all being said, I'd prefer a drug in 50 years to never. Maybe I won't personally benefit, but if my future grandchildren get a wonder drug, I'd still consider that a big win.