Navitoclax dosage and evidence
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
The short answer
Navitoclax is the most-quoted drug for clearing worn-out cells in mice, and the one you cannot give to healthy people. In its first study in people, 29 of 55 cancer patients saw their platelets, the blood cells that stop bleeding, drop to dangerous levels. Platelets stay alive using the same protein the drug blocks.
Evidence grade for Navitoclax: Moderate. The rule: at least one finished study in people, and at least 100 people who took it. The sum on this page: 2 completed trials, 137 people given it. A grade counts how much has been done to people, not whether it works.
- People given it
- 137
- Human studies
- 2
- Found nothing
- 0
Dose
No human dose established
Amounts that were given in studies sit in Human evidence on this page. None of them is a personal dose.
2 completed trials, 137 people given it
2 effects reported, 2 unwanted, by people using it, not a trial
Goal pages: Brain, memory and mood, Ageing and longevity, Heart and circulation, Immune system and inflammation
In plain English
In plain English, from Aaron
This is how I would explain it to a friend. The evidence, with the numbers, is further down the page.
Navitoclax is an experimental cancer pill. In mice, it kills worn-out cells, the ones some people call zombie cells. In people, it also kills platelets, the blood cells that stop bleeding. It is not approved for anything, anywhere.
What people take it for
- Clearing worn-out cells to slow ageing.
- Renewing stem cells, based on mouse studies.
- Cancer, which is the only use tested in people.
What studies in people showed
Every study in people is in cancer. In 91 people with one type of tumour, it was given with a second cancer drug. Tumours shrank in 8 of 49 who could be checked. In 55 adults with lymph node cancer, platelets dropped to dangerous levels in 29. In 46 women with ovarian cancer, only one tumour shrank, and platelets crashed in 12. Nobody has tested it for ageing. In mice, it cleared worn-out cells and renewed stem cells. In other mice, clearing worn-out cells made a lung blood pressure problem worse.
What people report
Reports, not study results
The good
- We have not collected user reports on this one yet.
The bad
- In the cancer studies, platelets dropped to dangerous levels in 29 of 55 and in 12 of 46 patients. That means a real bleeding risk.
- The same studies found drops in immune cells.
Where these come from: The side effects are from the cancer studies on this page. We have no forum reports for this one.
My bottom line
The thing that makes it work in mice is the same thing that wipes out your platelets. That is not fixable with a better dose. I would never take this for ageing.
An opinion, not a finding. I am a coach, not a doctor.
What it has been measured to do
Measured in people
Goals Navitoclax has been tested for in people, biggest studies first. We count only what the studies on this page say, so the real numbers may be higher.
- Living longer46 people · 1 study
- Cancer and tumours46 people · 1 study
Animal and lab work, not yet tested in people
Real results, but from animals or cells, not people. What works in a mouse often does not work the same way in a person. Nobody can patent this, so nobody would ever earn back the cost of a study in people. That is usually why there is none. The record on this one is set out below.
- Memory and thinking1 animal or lab study
- Blood pressure1 animal or lab study
32 of the 36 indexed goals have no study of any kind behind Navitoclax
No study in people, animals or cells on this page reports a result for these. That does not prove Navitoclax does nothing for them. It does mean anything you have heard about Navitoclax and one of these did not come from a study cited here.
Show full evidence
What is Navitoclax?
Navitoclax is the most-quoted drug for clearing worn-out cells in mice, and the one you cannot give to healthy people. In its first study in people, 29 of 55 cancer patients saw their platelets, the blood cells that stop bleeding, drop to dangerous levels. Platelets stay alive using the same protein the drug blocks.
Navitoclax is a pill that blocks three proteins that keep cells alive: BCL-2, BCL-xL and BCL-w. Worn-out, or senescent, cells lean on these proteins to stay alive. Block them, and the worn-out cells die.
People have taken navitoclax, but only for cancer. In the first study, 55 adults whose lymph node cancer had come back took it. In 29 of them, platelets dropped to dangerous levels. Platelets are the blood cells that stop bleeding. The authors said this happens because platelets need BCL-xL to survive. In 46 women with ovarian cancer that no longer responded to chemo, one tumour shrank and 15 held steady. Half the women had growing cancer again within 1.64 months. Platelets dropped to dangerous levels in 12 of the 46. In 91 patients with tumours driven by a RAS gene change, navitoclax plus a second drug, trametinib, shrank tumours in 8 of 49 who could be checked. Low platelets were again one of the most common side effects.
In mice, it works as a clean-up drug. The pill cleared worn-out cells in mice that were aged or had been given radiation, and renewed their blood and muscle stem cells. It also cleared worn-out brain support cells in a mouse model of dementia.
The clean-up effect and the platelet harm are the same effect. A better schedule cannot fix that. That is why navitoclax has never been tested for ageing. A search of the US trial registry in September 2026 found no navitoclax study for ageing or worn-out cells. It is not approved for anything, anywhere. No clean-up drug has improved health in a proper study in people, and navitoclax has not been tested for one.
How does Navitoclax work?
Shown in human cells and in mice: navitoclax sits in a pocket on BCL-2, BCL-xL and BCL-w. That frees up other proteins that tell the cell to die, so cells that lean on those three proteins die off. In mice, worn-out cells lean on them, which is why the drug hits those cells hardest. In people, platelets lean on the same protein, so their count drops. The cancer studies confirmed that. The clean-up effect seen in mice has never been shown in a person.
What have studies in people found about Navitoclax?
There is a lot of data in people, all of it in cancer patients, and none about ageing or worn-out cells. Nobody has ever been given navitoclax to clear worn-out cells, and no such study is registered anywhere.
- 91 patients with tumours driven by a RAS gene change, taking navitoclax plus trametinib, with no comparison group: tumours shrank in 8 of 49 who could be checked, 7 of them among women's cancers.
- 55 adults whose lymph node cancer had come back: platelets dropped to dangerous levels in 29, and that set the dose limit on both schedules. Paid for by Abbott, Genentech and the US National Cancer Institute.
- 46 women with ovarian cancer that no longer responded to chemo, with no comparison group: half had growing cancer again within 1.64 months, one tumour shrank, and platelets dropped to dangerous levels in 12.
- US trial registry, checked September 2026: no navitoclax study for ageing or worn-out cells. Every registered navitoclax study is for cancer or blood disease.
What this does not tell you: Cancer studies tell you what the drug does to platelets, immune cells and tumours in people who are already sick and being treated for cancer. They tell you nothing about whether clearing worn-out cells helps a healthy older adult. Nobody has asked that question in a person with this drug. The platelet drop is the reason nobody has.
The state of the research
Navitoclax is the clearest case in this field of a drug whose own way of working blocks it from use in people. BCL-xL keeps platelets alive. Blocking BCL-xL kills worn-out cells and drops the platelet count in the same stroke. The first study's authors said so in 2010. Every cancer study since has found the same harm. That is acceptable when the other option is cancer getting worse. It is not acceptable in a preventive drug for healthy people.
That is why DT2216 exists. It is built to destroy BCL-xL using a tool platelets barely have. It is also why the common claim that clean-up drugs renew stem cells should always come with its species attached: the renewal was in mice. No clean-up drug has improved health in a proper study in people. The drug with the strongest clean-up results in animals is the one least likely to be tested for it.
The evidence, in charts
Fig. 1a · how many people
192people, across 3 studies in people cited here
| Study | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical Cancer Research 2024 | 91 | 47% |
| The Lancet Oncology 2010 | 55 | 29% |
| Gynecologic Oncology 2022 | 46 | 24% |
Counts are the number of people each study on this page says it signed up. That includes studies that only watched people and gave nobody the compound. 1 more study in people gives no headcount and is not counted here. Studies still signing people up are left out, and only studies cited on this page are counted.
Fig. 1b · evidence mix
4 of 7 sources here are studies in people. The rest are not.
- Study in people · done in people457%
- Animal study · done in animals343%
Counted from the list of sources on this page. It counts only what we cite, so there may be more studies out there. A review counts once, however many studies it sums up.
Fig. 2 · evidence over time
The studies cover 7 different years, 2010 to 2026, counted from the list of sources on this page.
Fig. 3 · legal status at a glance
US
Not approved
UK
Not approved
AU
Not approved
CA
Not approved
Not approved in any of the four countries shown. This is what the law says, not a verdict on the science. See Legal status below for the full text and any notes.
Fig. 4 · how much does what
Nobody has tested different amounts in people
This chart would show how the effect changes as the amount goes up. For this compound, nobody has measured that in people. So we leave it empty. We will not borrow an animal chart and pretend it works the same in people.
Fig. 5 · what the molecule is
- Kind of compound
- Small molecule
- Molecule weight
- Not on file
- Half-life
- None on file
- Chain length
- None on file
No amino acid sequence is on file for Navitoclax, which is expected: a small molecule is not built from amino acids.
The studies we cite
- Study in people2010Navitoclax, a targeted high-affinity inhibitor of BCL-2, in lymphoid malignancies: a phase 1 dose-escalation study of safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and antitumour activity
The drug that clears worn-out cells in mice also wipes out platelets in people. 55 adults whose lymph node cancer had come back took it at seven US hospitals. In 29 of them, platelets, the blood cells that stop bleeding, dropped to dangerous levels. Many also lost immune cells. The bleeding risk set the dose limit. Platelets stay alive using the very protein the drug blocks, so the effect and the harm are the same thing. Abbott, Genentech and the US National Cancer Institute paid for it.
55 adults with relapsed or refractory lymphoid malignancy, median age 59, treated at seven United States sites. Grade 3 or 4 thrombocytopenia in 29 patients, lymphocytopenia in 18, neutropenia in 18. Dose-limiting toxicities on both schedules included grade 4 thrombocytopenia. The authors describe a novel mechanism of peripheral thrombocytopenia and T-cell lymphopenia attributable to high-affinity inhibition of BCL-xL and BCL-2. Funded by Abbott Laboratories, Genentech and the National Cancer Institute.
- Study in people2022A phase II study of Navitoclax (ABT-263) as single agent in women heavily pretreated for recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer
Navitoclax on its own barely touched advanced ovarian cancer. 46 women whose cancer no longer responded to chemo took it, with no comparison group, after a median of four earlier treatments. One woman's tumour shrank. 15 saw theirs hold steady. Half were back to growing cancer within about seven weeks. In 12 of the 46, platelets dropped to dangerous levels, which forced a dose cut in 8 and stopped treatment in 3. The authors called the results poor.
46 women with platinum-resistant high-grade serous ovarian cancer, median four prior lines, single-arm. Three-month progression-free survival 22.7 percent, median progression-free survival 1.64 months, one partial response and 15 stable diseases. Grade 3 or 4 thrombocytopenia in 12 of 46, causing dose reduction in 8 and discontinuation in 3. The authors concluded activity was poor.
- Study in people2024Phase I/II Study of Combined BCL-xL and MEK Inhibition with Navitoclax and Trametinib in KRAS or NRAS Mutant Advanced Solid Tumors
Adding navitoclax to trametinib helped one group of patients and nobody else. 91 people with tumours driven by a RAS gene change took the pair, with no comparison group. At the chosen dose, tumours shrank in 8 of 49 patients who could be checked. 7 of those 8 were among the 21 with women's cancers. Nobody with bowel, lung or pancreatic cancer responded. Dangerously low platelets were again one of the most common side effects.
91 patients with RAS-mutant tumours. At the recommended phase 2 dose, 8 of 49 evaluable patients had a partial response, 7 of them among the 21 with gynaecologic cancers. No responses in colorectal, lung or pancreatic cancer. Thrombocytopenia was among the most common adverse events.
- Study in people2026A Study of ABT-263 in Subjects With Relapsed or Refractory Lymphoid Malignancies
This is the sign-up record for the first navitoclax study, not a result. AbbVie registered it, enrolled 81 people, and marked it finished. The record posts no results. We checked it was live in September 2026. Anything you read about what happened comes from the published paper, not this record.
Registry record for the phase 1/2 programme above. Sponsor AbbVie, enrolment 81, status COMPLETED, verified live September 2026. No results are posted on the registry record.
- Animal study2016Clearance of senescent cells by ABT263 rejuvenates aged hematopoietic stem cells in mice
In mice. The pill cleared worn-out cells, including blood and muscle stem cells, in mice that were aged or had been given radiation, and renewed those cells. This is the main clean-up result for navitoclax, and it is all in mice.
Mouse. Oral ABT-263 in sublethally irradiated and in normally aged mice depleted senescent cells, including senescent haematopoietic and muscle stem cells, and rejuvenated those compartments. This is the load-bearing senolytic result for navitoclax and it is entirely in mice.
- Animal study2018Clearance of senescent glial cells prevents tau-dependent pathology and cognitive decline
In mice. In a mouse model of dementia, clearing worn-out brain support cells stopped the buildup of a harmful protein called tau and prevented memory decline. There is no study of navitoclax for dementia in people.
Mouse tau model. Clearing senescent astrocytes and microglia prevented tau deposition and cognitive decline. Mouse only; no human neurodegeneration trial of navitoclax exists.
- Animal study2023Eliminating Senescent Cells Can Promote Pulmonary Hypertension Development and Progression
In mice. Clearing worn-out cells, including with navitoclax, made high blood pressure in the lungs worse in several mouse models. That is a harm signal. It is listed here because the good results in animals get quoted all the time and this one does not.
Mouse. Clearing senescent cells, including with ABT-263, worsened pulmonary hypertension in several models. A senolytic harm signal in animals, reported here because the benefit signals in animals are quoted constantly and this one is not.
Common questions
Has Navitoclax been tested in people?
Yes. 137 people given it across 2 completed trials cited here, 0 of which found nothing. Navitoclax is the most-quoted drug for clearing worn-out cells in mice, and the one you cannot give to healthy people. In its first study in people, 29 of 55 cancer patients saw their platelets, the blood cells that stop bleeding, drop to dangerous levels. Platelets stay alive using the same protein the drug blocks.
What is the Navitoclax dosage?
No human dose established. Amounts that were given in studies sit in Human evidence on this page. None of them is a personal dose. 2 completed trials, 137 people given it
Is Navitoclax FDA-approved?
Not approved for any use, in any country. It has been tested as a cancer drug since 2006. No study for ageing or for clearing worn-out cells is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Has navitoclax been tested as an anti-ageing drug in people?
No. As of September 2026 there is no registered navitoclax study for ageing or worn-out cells anywhere on the US trial registry. All the data in people come from studies in cancer and blood disease.
Why is the thrombocytopenia such a problem?
Because it is the same thing as the clean-up effect. Platelets, the blood cells that stop bleeding, need BCL-xL to survive, and so do worn-out cells. In the first study in people, platelets dropped to dangerous levels in 29 of 55 patients, and that set the dose limit on both schedules. A better schedule cannot split the two, because there is only one effect.
What did navitoclax actually do in mice?
In mice, the pill cleared worn-out cells in animals that were aged or had been given radiation, and renewed their blood and muscle stem cells. In a separate mouse model of dementia, it cleared worn-out brain support cells and prevented memory decline. Both results are in mice. Neither has been seen in people.
Is clearing senescent cells always beneficial?
Not in animals. A 2023 paper found that clearing worn-out cells, including with navitoclax, made high blood pressure in the lungs start and get worse in mice. Harm results like this are part of the record, and people rarely quote them next to the good ones.