FDA’s Califf wants to get the public as excited about life expectancy as cures

WASHINGTON — It’s easy to get people worked up about cures, but they don’t seem to be bothered by falling life expectancy, and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf would like to figure out how to connect the two.

The United States has one of the lowest life expectancy rates among wealthy nations. Post-pandemic, the average American life span is down to 76.4 years. The average life expectancy in comparable countries is 80.3 years.

The issue may be too abstract for most, Califf suggested Tuesday at the Milken Institute Future of Health Summit.

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