Trametinib dosage and evidence
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
The short answer
Trametinib is an approved melanoma drug that made mice live longer. Added to rapamycin, the effects stacked, which suggests the two drugs pull separate levers.
Evidence grade for Trametinib: Strong. The rule: at least two finished studies in people, and at least 1,000 people who took it. The sum on this page: 2 completed trials, 1,192 people given it. A grade counts how much has been done to people, not whether it works.
- People given it
- 1,192
- Human studies
- 2
- Found nothing
- 0
Dose
Approved medicine. No human dose established for unlabelled uses
Labeled amounts sit on the prescribing information. This page records what trials measured, not a personal dose.
FDA-approved as Mekinist for melanoma and other cancers that carry a BRAF gene change. It is usually given with another drug, dabrafenib. Not approved for any ageing use.
No first-hand reports gathered yet. That is a gap in what we have collected, not a finding that nothing has been reported.
Goal pages: Ageing and longevity, Heart and circulation, Immune system and inflammation, Gut health
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.
Trametinib is an approved melanoma drug. It blocks a growth signal called MEK. In mice it made them live longer, and it stacked with rapamycin. It has never been tested for ageing in people, and it has serious side effects.
What people take it for
- Its approved use: melanoma and other cancers with a BRAF gene change.
- Longer life, based on mouse studies.
What studies in people showed
In people, the proof is about cancer. In 870 people after melanoma surgery, a year of this drug plus dabrafenib left 58 percent cancer free at three years. On a dummy pill it was 39 percent. In 322 people whose melanoma had spread, this drug alone held the cancer back for a typical 4.8 months. On chemotherapy it was 1.5 months. No human study has looked at ageing. In mice, it made them live longer, and adding rapamycin made them live longer still.
What people report
Reports, not study results
The good
- In cancer trials, it held melanoma back longer than chemotherapy.
The bad
- Common side effects are rash, diarrhoea and swelling.
- Serious risks include heart muscle damage, eye problems, severe skin reactions and bleeding.
Where these come from: From the cancer trials and drug record on this page. We have not collected user reports on this one yet.
My bottom line
My opinion: a good mouse result on a drug that can damage your heart and eyes. Nobody should take a cancer drug for ageing. Fasting, lifting and sleep have better human evidence and no toxic side effects.
An opinion, not a finding. I am a coach, not a doctor.
What it has been measured to do
Measured in people
Goals Trametinib 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 longer1,192 people · 2 studies
- Gut and digestion322 people · 1 study
- Heart attacks and strokes322 people · 1 study
- Cancer and tumours322 people · 1 study
32 of the 36 indexed goals have no study of any kind behind Trametinib
No study in people, animals or cells on this page reports a result for these. That does not prove Trametinib does nothing for them. It does mean anything you have heard about Trametinib and one of these did not come from a study cited here.
Show full evidence
What is Trametinib?
Trametinib is an approved melanoma drug that made mice live longer. Added to rapamycin, the effects stacked, which suggests the two drugs pull separate levers.
Most things that extend lifespan in mice are thought to work through the body's food sensing system. So adding them together should give little more than either alone. Trametinib is interesting because it seems not to fit that pattern.
In people, it is an approved melanoma drug. It blocks MEK, part of the Ras and MAPK chain of growth signals, a different path from mTOR. In a trial of 870 people after melanoma surgery, a year of trametinib plus dabrafenib cut the chance of the cancer coming back. At three years, 58 percent were free of it, against 39 percent on a dummy pill. That is a result for the two drugs together. In a trial of 322 people whose melanoma had spread and carried a BRAF gene change, trametinib alone held the cancer back for a typical 4.8 months, against 1.5 months on chemotherapy. At six months, 81 percent were alive, against 67 percent. The common side effects were rash, diarrhoea and swelling.
In mice, it extended healthy life and total lifespan. With rapamycin, the effects added up instead of overlapping.
That adding up is the finding worth attention. If two drugs on separate paths add up, the ceiling on drug based life extension is higher than either alone suggests. But it is mouse data. It comes from a drug with serious side effects in people, and the ageing result has never been tested in a person.
How does Trametinib work?
It blocks MEK1 and MEK2, two enzymes in the Ras, RAF, MEK, ERK chain. That chain carries growth signals to the cell's nucleus and drives cells to divide. In cancers with a BRAF gene change, the chain is stuck on, which is why the drug is approved for them. The ageing idea is that turning down Ras and MAPK signals extends life in several kinds of lab animals. This path is separate from mTOR food sensing. That is what makes stacking with rapamycin believable, not surprising.
What have studies in people found about Trametinib?
A large cancer record, with well known and serious side effects. No human ageing data at all.
- Melanoma after surgery (870 people): a year of trametinib plus dabrafenib cut the chance of the cancer coming back. At three years, 58 percent were free of it against 39 percent on a dummy pill. This is a two drug result.
- Melanoma that had spread (322 people): trametinib alone held the cancer back for a typical 4.8 months against 1.5 on chemotherapy. At six months, 81 percent were alive against 67 percent.
- Approved for melanoma and other cancers with a BRAF gene change, usually with a BRAF blocking drug, based on trials that measured survival.
- Side effects are serious. They include heart muscle damage that weakens pumping, eye problems such as a blocked vein in the retina, severe skin reactions, lung inflammation and bleeding.
- No human study has looked at lifespan, healthy lifespan or any ageing measure.
- The ageing evidence is all in mice.
What this does not tell you: This is a cancer drug that harms organs. In the people it is approved for, it needs heart and eye checks. The lifespan result is in mice. The gap between a mouse lifespan finding and a safe treatment for people is huge here. It is bigger than for metformin or rapamycin, because the side effects are not subtle.
The state of the research
The stacking with rapamycin is the part that moves the field forward. It is worth saying exactly what it does and does not mean. It suggests Ras and MAPK signalling is a lever on ageing separate from mTOR food sensing. That raises the theoretical ceiling for combining ageing drugs. It is a real and interesting mouse result.
It is not an argument for taking this drug. Its side effects include heart muscle damage and blocked veins in the retina. Doctors watch for these closely in cancer patients, for whom the trade-off makes sense. Nobody has found a dose that would work on ageing without those risks. This site's fasting and training sections cover things with better evidence and no toxic side effects at all.
The evidence, in charts
Fig. 1a · how many people
1,192people, across 2 studies in people cited here
| Study | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| COMBI-AD, The New England Journal of Medicine 2017 | 870 | 73% |
| METRIC, The New England Journal of Medicine 2012 | 322 | 27% |
One study holds 73% of these people, so the total rests more on one study than its size suggests. 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. Studies still signing people up are left out, and only studies cited on this page are counted.
Fig. 1b · evidence mix
2 of 3 sources here are studies in people. The rest is not.
- Study in people · done in people267%
- Animal study · done in animals133%
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 3 different years, 2012 to 2025, counted from the list of sources on this page.
Fig. 3 · legal status at a glance
US
Approved
UK
Approved
AU
Approved
CA
Approved
Approved in all 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. 5 · what the molecule is
- Kind of compound
- Small molecule
- Molecule weight
- 615.4 Da. A small molecule, not a peptide.
- Half-life
- Stated in words, not a numbersee the exact wording below
- Chain length
- None on file
Half-life as stated on file: Roughly four to five days, which is unusually long for a small-molecule kinase inhibitor and means exposure accumulates over the first weeks.
No amino acid sequence is on file for Trametinib, which is expected: a small molecule is not built from amino acids.
The studies we cite
- Study in people2012Improved survival with MEK inhibition in BRAF-mutated melanoma.
In advanced melanoma with a BRAF mutation, trametinib on its own held the cancer back longer than chemotherapy and more people were alive at six months. Rash, diarrhoea and swelling were the common side effects. This is the trial that led to its approval as a single drug.
322 patients with metastatic melanoma carrying a BRAF V600E or V600K mutation randomised 2:1 to trametinib 2 mg daily or chemotherapy, open-label (METRIC). Median progression-free survival 4.8 versus 1.5 months (HR 0.45, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.63). Overall survival at 6 months 81% versus 67% despite crossover (HR 0.54). Rash, diarrhoea and peripheral oedema were most common; reductions in ejection fraction and eye effects were infrequent.
- Study in people2017Adjuvant Dabrafenib plus Trametinib in Stage III BRAF-Mutated Melanoma.
After surgery for stage III melanoma with a BRAF mutation, a year of trametinib plus dabrafenib cut the chance of the cancer coming back compared with a dummy pill. This is a two-drug result, not trametinib alone.
870 patients with resected stage III BRAF V600E or V600K melanoma randomised double-blind to dabrafenib 150 mg twice daily plus trametinib 2 mg daily, or placebo, for 12 months (COMBI-AD). Three-year relapse-free survival 58% versus 39% (HR 0.47, 95% CI 0.39 to 0.58). Three-year overall survival 86% versus 77% (HR 0.57), short of the prespecified interim boundary.
- Animal study2025The geroprotectors trametinib and rapamycin combine additively to extend mouse healthspan and lifespan
In mice. Trametinib made mice live longer and stay healthy longer. Adding rapamycin extended life further, so the effects stacked instead of overlapping. That suggests the two drugs work through separate paths. Most drugs tested for ageing are thought to share one path, the body's food sensing system.
Mouse work. Trametinib extended healthspan and lifespan, and combined additively with rapamycin rather than redundantly. Additivity implies the two act through separate pathways, which matters because most candidate geroprotectors are thought to converge on nutrient sensing.
Common questions
Has Trametinib been tested in people?
Yes. 1,192 people given it across 2 completed trials cited here, 0 of which found nothing. Trametinib is an approved melanoma drug that made mice live longer. Added to rapamycin, the effects stacked, which suggests the two drugs pull separate levers.
What is the Trametinib dosage?
Approved medicine. No human dose established for unlabelled uses. Labeled amounts sit on the prescribing information. This page records what trials measured, not a personal dose. FDA-approved as Mekinist for melanoma and other cancers that carry a BRAF gene change. It is usually given with another drug, dabrafenib. Not approved for any ageing use.
Is Trametinib FDA-approved?
FDA-approved as Mekinist for melanoma and other cancers that carry a BRAF gene change. It is usually given with another drug, dabrafenib. Not approved for any ageing use.
Does trametinib extend lifespan?
In mice, yes, and it stacked with rapamycin. In people it has never been tested for anything to do with ageing. The stacking finding matters to science because it suggests two separate paths, not one.
Why does additivity matter?
Because most drugs tested for ageing are thought to share one path, the body's food sensing system. That would mean stacking them buys little. Two drugs whose effects add up point to separate levers. In theory, that means combining treatments could go further.
Could a person take it for ageing?
Not sensibly. At its approved doses it causes heart muscle damage, eye problems, severe skin reactions and bleeding, and it needs heart and eye checks. No dose for ageing has been worked out in people, and the risk is not guesswork.