Anti-aging pill being developed

A British doctor says anti-aging drugs that can lower the risk of diseases such as cancer and dementia, as well as wrinkles, will soon be available.

Linda Partridge, a geneticist at University College London, told The Daily Telegraph drugs tackle the cause of those diseases -- age itself.

"One obvious approach in trying to deal with the very rapidly increasing incidence of age-related diseases is to tackle the underlying aging process itself, because it is the major risk factor," Partridge said.

Because the treatments tackle aging of the body itself, they could also preserve other traits, such as muscle strength, hearing and the condition of the skin, Partridge said.

However, living forever is not the goal of the drug, Partridge said.

"We are not talking about immortality, we are trying to get rid of that period of ill health that people get toward the end of their lives, to hold off age-related disease for longer," she said. "I think it will come in gradually, I hope in my lifetime."