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A Magical Life Extension Drug For Your Dog Is Coming Soon

As soon as 2025

Author

Bryan Reisberg
March 14, 2024

UPDATE: The Dog Longevity Drug Is Coming

Last December, we reported on Loyal, a biotech startup developing the first drugs intended to help dogs live longer, healthier lives. A the time they were working on LOY-001, a long-acting injectable created to bolster longevity in large adult dogs that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deemed to have a “reasonable expectation of effectiveness.”  Here were the topline facts on LOY-001:

  • Loyal’s drug focuses on reducing the amount of a growth hormone called insulin growth factor-1, or IGF-1 that is found in high levels in many large dogs, which some have suspected is the reason they tend to have shorter lifespans than smaller breeds. 

  • Despite the FDA's ruling, there's scant evidence that Loyal’s drug can reliably lengthen the lifespan of dogs. The New York Times noted that there is just one small study indicating that LOY-001 might mitigate some aging-linked metabolic changes, but Loyal has not proven that it actually extends the lives of dogs.

  • Loyal CEO Celine Halioua told the Times that the company aspires to claim a one-year lifespan extension from the drug. 

  • In recent years, the FDA has been empowered by Congress to conditionally approve certain “innovative treatments” for animals that require complex clinical trials, allowing for their accelerated use on “animals and species that have few drugs approved for them”

Here are some updates on the work that Loyal has been doing since we last checked in—including a timeline of drug availability to the public, the launch of a major 4-year long study, and the expansion of the longevity drug program:

Drug Availability by 2025

Last month, it was announced that by early 2025 (before LOY-001 even hits the market), pet parents will have access to LOY-002, a drug that can be used not just on large dogs, but medium-sized dogs as well.

The pill is designed for dogs older than 10 years and should extend the lifespan of dogs by at least a year. Loyal also plans on developing an injectable version of the drug, as well as another pill (the aforementioned LOY-001) specifically designed for large breeds.

“We are working to develop multiple dog longevity products,” said Celine Halioua, founder and CEO of Loyal, in an interview with dvm360. 

LOY-001 vs. LOY-002

Loyal developed LOY-001 and LOY-002 to target the mechanisms of aging in dogs. 

LOY-001 reduces insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which is thought to shorten the lifespan of large dogs. While the new drug, LOY-002, aims to extend healthy lifespan by improving metabolic health to delay age-related diseases. 

According to an interview in DVM360, Loyal’s CEO says LOY-002 works through a slightly different mechanism than LOY-001, offering a potential reversal of age-related functional decline in treated dogs. So while LOY-002 might arrive as soon as 2025, it will be offered alongside one of the largest veterinary clinical studies ever run.

The Largest Veterinary Clinical Study Begins

Loyal also announced last month that it has administered the first dose of its drug LOY-002 to a dog in the STAY study, a pivotal, 4 year-long clinical trial in partnership with more than 50 independent veterinary clinics from across the country. The STAY study will include over 1000 dogs of varying size, breed and age.

LOY-002 aims to extend the healthy lifespan of senior dogs and maintain their quality of life as they age. The study is crucial for gathering effectiveness and field safety data to support Loyal's FDA approval application. Loyal is also seeking conditional approval, which would enable them to provide LOY-002 through veterinarians as early as early 2025 while simultaneously conducting the lifespan extension study.

To facilitate the development of future products, Loyal will also build a longitudinal biobank of saliva and blood samples from participating dogs to further support its research into improving longevity in dogs — and ultimately humans, too.

Want to Participate in the Clinical Trials?

Participating veterinary clinics and animal hospitals across the country will begin enrolling dogs over the coming months. Dog owners interested in enrolling their senior dogs (age 10 and above) in STAY can learn more on the study website.

Final Thoughts

It’s encouraging to see the start of a massive, 4-year long study in partnership with veterinary clinics around the country.  As with anything in the pet world, there’s no one solution for every dog.  With over 300 breeds of dogs, every dog is truly different — different size, age, ailments, etc.  So to produce a drug that claims to extend the life of your pet would necessitate a massive study — which is what Loyal is beginning now.  

Right now, extending my dog’s life by a year doesn’t sound like a lot, but I’m sure when the time comes, I’m gonna want that extra year.

Go, Loyal, go.

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