Biomedical Research & Longevity Society
Biomedical Research & Longevity Society is a U.S. longevity-research and health-supplement organization formerly known as the Life Extension Foundation.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Biomedical Research & Longevity Society, formerly the Life Extension Foundation, is a United States organization focused on biomedical research, life-extension advocacy, and the development and distribution of nutritional supplements. It was founded in 1980 by Saul Kent and William Faloon with the stated objective of extending healthy human lifespan through research into aging, disease prevention, and therapies intended to control or reverse age-related decline. The organization’s activities have combined research advocacy with a member-supported commercial model built around supplements. Historically, the foundation operated alongside the Life Extension Buyer’s Club, an affiliated entity that sold vitamins and nutritional products to members. The Buyer’s Club was incorporated in Nevada and had a separate employer identification number from the foundation. Revenue from supplement sales was a major source of support for the foundation’s activities. The organization and its affiliated commercial operations were associated with Fort Lauderdale, Florida, while a call-center operation was also located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The group became known for promoting nutritional and pharmaceutical approaches that were considered unconventional or insufficiently established by mainstream medical institutions at the time. In 1981 it recommended dehydroepiandrosterone, or DHEA. In 1983 it promoted low-dose aspirin and became an early U.S. advocate of coenzyme Q10, commonly known as CoQ10. In 1992 it added melatonin to its product line. These recommendations helped define its public identity as a life-extension organization willing to promote emerging or controversial interventions before they achieved broad acceptance. The organization also developed a confrontational relationship with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In 1987, the FDA raided a Life Extension Foundation warehouse and charged Kent and Faloon with multiple offenses, including allegations involving the distribution of unapproved drugs. The legal proceedings expanded to a total of 56 charges before all charges were dismissed by a federal judge in 1998. In 1994, Kent and Faloon opened the FDA Holocaust Museum, an advocacy project intended to criticize what they viewed as regulatory delays or restrictions affecting access to potentially life-saving treatments. The foundation’s nonprofit status later became the subject of a dispute with the Internal Revenue Service. In May 2013, the IRS revoked the Life Extension Foundation’s tax-exempt status retroactively to 2006, asserting that the organization’s operations were too closely connected with the for-profit Life Extension Buyer’s Club. The foundation challenged the IRS position in federal court in August 2013. Its tax-exempt status was reinstated retroactively in 2018. That same year, the organization changed its name from Life Extension Foundation to Biomedical Research & Longevity Society, Inc. The current name reflects the organization’s emphasis on biomedical research and longevity rather than its earlier foundation branding. Publicly available reference material describes its work through research advocacy, supplement-related activity, and life-extension initiatives. Detailed information about its current leadership, research portfolio, product catalog, and present operating structure is limited in the supplied sources.
History
Biomedical Research & Longevity Society began in 1980 as the Life Extension Foundation, established by Saul Kent and William Faloon. Its founding purpose was to investigate and promote methods for extending healthy human life, controlling aging, and reducing the burden of disease. From its earliest period, the organization combined advocacy and research-oriented activities with the sale of nutritional products. Its model relied substantially on supplement purchases by members of the affiliated Life Extension Buyer’s Club, while the foundation presented itself as a research and educational organization. During the 1980s and 1990s, the organization gained attention for advancing interventions that were not yet conventional parts of mainstream preventive medicine. It recommended DHEA in 1981 and low-dose aspirin in 1983, and it was an early U.S. promoter of coenzyme Q10. In 1992, it introduced melatonin into its product line. These activities established a recognizable life-extension identity centered on dietary supplementation, emerging biomedical findings, and the prevention of age-related decline. The foundation’s advocacy also brought it into conflict with federal regulators. In 1987, the FDA raided a Life Extension Foundation warehouse and brought charges against Kent and Faloon, including allegations concerning the distribution of unapproved drugs. The case later grew to 56 charges. A federal judge dismissed all of the charges in 1998. The founders continued to criticize the regulatory system, and in 1994 they opened the FDA Holocaust Museum, an advocacy exhibit intended to draw attention to what they regarded as harmful delays or barriers to the availability of life-saving medicines and treatments. The organization maintained operations in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and was associated with a call center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Its commercial relationship with the Life Extension Buyer’s Club subsequently became important to its legal and tax history. The Buyer’s Club was a Nevada-incorporated affiliate with a separate employer identification number and sold vitamins and supplements to members. The foundation’s reliance on this commercial activity became the basis of an IRS challenge to its nonprofit status. In May 2013, the IRS revoked the Life Extension Foundation’s tax-exempt status retroactively to 2006. The agency argued that the foundation’s operations were too closely intertwined with the for-profit Buyer’s Club. The organization responded by filing a federal complaint for declaratory judgment in August 2013, seeking to challenge the IRS position. Its tax-exempt status was restored retroactively in 2018. The year 2018 also marked a formal rebranding. The Life Extension Foundation adopted the name Biomedical Research & Longevity Society, Inc. The new name placed greater emphasis on biomedical research and longevity while retaining the organization’s historical connection to life-extension advocacy and supplement activity. Available reference material does not provide a detailed account of its current officers, research programs, product portfolio, or geographic reach beyond the United States.
- 2018
Tax status restored and name changed
[1]The organization regains its tax-exempt status retroactively and adopts the name Biomedical Research & Longevity Society, Inc.
- 2013
Tax-exempt status revoked
[1]The IRS revokes the foundation’s tax-exempt status retroactively to 2006.
- 1998
FDA-related charges dismissed
[1]A federal judge dismisses all charges in the case against Kent and Faloon.
- 1994
FDA Holocaust Museum opens
[1]Saul Kent and William Faloon open an advocacy museum criticizing perceived FDA delays in approving life-saving treatments.
- 1992
Melatonin enters the product line
[1]The organization adds melatonin products to its supplement offerings.
- 1987
FDA warehouse raid
[1]The FDA raids a Life Extension Foundation warehouse and initiates charges against its founders.
- 1983
Low-dose aspirin and CoQ10 advocacy
[1]The organization recommends low-dose aspirin and becomes an early U.S. organization to recommend coenzyme Q10.
- 1981
DHEA recommendation
[1]The organization begins recommending DHEA as part of its life-extension and preventive-health approach.
- 1980
Life Extension Foundation is founded
[1]Saul Kent and William Faloon establish the organization to pursue methods intended to extend healthy human lifespan and address aging-related disease.
Products and positioning
A longevity-focused biomedical research and health-supplement organization positioned around extending healthy human lifespan, advocating access to emerging therapies, and commercializing nutritional products for members.
Nutritional supplement · 1981
DHEA supplements
DHEA-related products formed part of the organization’s early life-extension recommendations. The foundation began recommending DHEA in 1981 as an intervention associated with hormonal aging and longevity.
Nutritional supplement · 1983
Coenzyme Q10 supplements
Coenzyme Q10, or CoQ10, was among the organization’s notable early supplement recommendations. The organization identified it as a longevity-oriented nutritional product in 1983, before it had broad mainstream visibility in the United States.
Nutritional supplement · 1992
Melatonin supplements
Melatonin was added to the organization’s product line in 1992. Its inclusion reflected the foundation’s interest in compounds associated with sleep, biological rhythms, aging, and health-span research.
Nutritional supplements
Vitamins and nutritional supplements
The affiliated Life Extension Buyer’s Club sold vitamins and other nutritional supplements to members. These sales provided substantial financial support for the foundation’s research and advocacy activities.
Controversies
2013
IRS revocation of tax-exempt status
The IRS revoked the foundation’s tax-exempt status retroactively to 2006, arguing that its nonprofit operations were too closely connected to the for-profit Life Extension Buyer’s Club. The status was restored retroactively in 2018.
1987
FDA raid and unapproved-drug charges
The FDA raided a Life Extension Foundation warehouse and charged Saul Kent and William Faloon with multiple offenses, including allegations related to distributing unapproved drugs. The case ultimately ended with dismissal of all charges in 1998.
Marketing campaigns
- 1994FDA Holocaust Museum
United States
Saul Kent and William Faloon established the FDA Holocaust Museum as an advocacy project criticizing what they viewed as FDA delays or restrictions on access to potentially life-saving drugs and treatments.
Outcome. The museum became a visible expression of the organization’s health-freedom and regulatory-reform advocacy.
Brand decisions
2018
Rebrand from Life Extension FoundationStrategyBackground
The organization sought a name reflecting its biomedical research and longevity focus after operating for decades as the Life Extension Foundation.
Action taken
It changed its name to Biomedical Research & Longevity Society, Inc.
Aftermath
The new name became the organization’s current public identity while retaining its historical connection to life-extension advocacy and supplement activity.
2013
Challenge to IRS tax determinationOtherBackground
The IRS revoked the organization’s tax-exempt status and questioned the relationship between the foundation and the affiliated for-profit Life Extension Buyer’s Club.
Action taken
The foundation filed a complaint for declaratory judgment in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Aftermath
The organization’s tax-exempt status was later reinstated retroactively in 2018.
Sources1 sources
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