There is growing evidence that new and repurposed medicines could play a role in radically improving heath in old age. In 2018, the UK government set out a mission to deliver 5 extra years of health life by 2035, whilst reducing the gap in healthspan between the richest and the poorest in society. So far, the government’s efforts in this area have focused on assisted living technologies, rather than developing medicines that target the underlying biology that drives poor health in old age. This panel brings together representatives from academia, large pharma, and the SME sector to discuss how UK drug discovery researchers from across these sectors can work together to deliver innovative new medicines.