LONDON, March 9, 2026, 22:16 GMT
A Nature Medicine paper published on Monday said an ancillary analysis of the COSMOS trial linked Haleon’s Centrum Silver to a modest slowing in biological aging markers in older adults, giving the British consumer health group fresh scientific backing around its multivitamin brand. 1
The timing matters for Haleon. On Feb. 25, the company forecast 2026 organic revenue growth of 3% to 5% — organic strips out currency swings and recent deals — after weaker U.S. demand and heavier rival promotions hit sales, with Chris Beckett at Quilter Cheviot saying the squeeze was showing up “even in over-the-counter medicines.” 2
Researchers at Mass General Brigham and Augusta University studied 958 healthy participants with an average age of 70 and tracked five epigenetic clocks, DNA-based measures used to estimate biological age. Compared with placebo, a daily multivitamin showed statistically significant slowing in two second-generation clocks linked to mortality, equivalent to about four months less biological aging over two years. 1
Howard Sesso, a senior author on the paper, said the findings “open the door to learning more about accessible, safe interventions” that could support healthier aging. Co-author Yanbin Dong said the next step is to see if the signal “persists after the trial ends.” 3
Haleon welcomed the data. Alpa V. Shah, senior director of medical and scientific affairs, said the results “add to a growing body of evidence” around multivitamin use and healthy aging, while the company said Centrum Silver was the multivitamin used in the trial. 4
The study lands at a delicate moment for Haleon’s vitamins, minerals and supplements unit in North America, its largest market. In full-year results published on Feb. 25, the company said the region’s multivitamin category returned to growth in the second half of 2025 as cognitive claims on Centrum Silver helped share gains, though weak market conditions and aggressive promotions weighed earlier in the year. 5
That could matter on crowded pharmacy shelves. Haleon competes in supplements with Bayer’s One A Day brand, and fresh clinical data can help consumer health groups defend shelf space and pricing when shoppers pull back. 6
But the paper also set clear limits. The authors called the effect statistically significant but small, and said more studies are needed to show whether shifts in biological age translate into better long-term health outcomes; they also said Haleon, formerly Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, supplied the study pills and packaging but had no role in the trial design, conduct, analysis or manuscript preparation. For Haleon, which also makes Sensodyne, Advil and Panadol, the study offers a fresh talking point as it tries to win back U.S. volumes and market share rather than push through further price increases this year. 1
