Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/51353
Title: The pharmaceuticalisation of 'healthy' ageing: Testosterone enhancement for longevity
Contributor(s): Dunn, Matthew (author); Mulrooney, Kyle J D  (author)orcid ; Forlini, Cynthia (author); van de Ven, Katinka  (author)orcid ; Underwood, Mair (author)
Publication Date: 2021-09
Early Online Version: 2021-02-12
DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2021.103159
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/51353
Abstract: 

The United Nations estimates that the world’s population will reach 8.5 billion by 2030, and the populations of most countries are expected to grow older. This is case for many developed countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States of America, and member states of the European Union. Older cohorts will comprise a larger proportion of overall populations, driven in part by our increases in life expectancy. An ageing population poses challenges for governments; notably, older people tend to have multiple, chronic health conditions which can place a burden of health budgets. At the same time, we are witnessing a shift in how we respond to the health needs of our populations, with global drug policy acknowledging that some substances are contributing to increased morbidity and mortality (e.g. opioids) while others may have beneficial therapeutic effects (e.g. psylocibin, cannabis). There is general agreement that as men age their levels of testosterone decrease, and there is some evidence to suggest that there have been population-level declines in testosterone which are not associated with age. Anecdotally, testosterone is accessed by men seeking to self-medicate in the belief that they are experiencing low testosterone levels. There has also been a rise in anti-ageing clinics in the United States, providing access to testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). The non-medical use of testosterone can result in a number of adverse health events, including complications from the use of black market or underground products. Placing testosterone under a new prescribing regime may address some of these concerns, but is society ready for this change, and if so, what would this regime look like? This paper will explore the issue of how society responds to enhancement for longevity, or how we increasingly use pharmaceuticals to address and prevent illness, with a specific focus on testosterone and testosterone deficiency.

Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: International Journal of Drug Policy, v.95, p. 1-5
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Place of Publication: Netherlands
ISSN: 1873-4758
0955-3959
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: 420699 Public health not elsewhere classified
420309 Health management
440299 Criminology not elsewhere classified
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: 200204 Health inequalities
200205 Health policy evaluation
200502 Health related to ageing
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article
School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

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