New longevity drug for dogs could extend your pets life and pave the way for humans to live longer too

Sit, stay… live longer?Research shows that owning a dog can help humans live longer, healthier lives.Now, a US biotech company wants to return the favor with anti-aging drugs designed to extend the lifespan of your canine companion.

“The longevity space is crowded right now, and for good reason,” Celine Halioua, founder and CEO of Loyal, told The Post.“We all want to figure out how to get more happy, healthy years for our loved ones —especially the furry ones.”Before launching Loyal in 2019, Halioua worked on treatments for neurodegenerative diseases in humans — conditions that, much like aging in dogs, have no true preventive medicine.“This combination of experience sparked my mission to develop the first drug approved for healthy lifespan extension,” she said.Loyal has three longevity drugs in the pipeline, including two that specifically target bigger breeds, which typically have much shorter lifespans.While small dogs like Chihuahuas can live for 18 years or longer, giant breeds such as Great Danes would be lucky to make it to 10.That’s where LOY-001 and LOY-003 come in.

These drugs target dogs age 7 and older that weigh at least 40 pounds.They work by reducing levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), a hormone that fuels cell growth.Scientists believe that high levels of IGF-1 shorten the lifespan of large dogs, which can have up to 28 times more of the hormone than smaller breeds.One version, LOY-001, is an injectable given a few times a year at the vet.

The other, LOY-003, is a daily chewable pill.Both drugs are currently in pilot studies, and Loyal is eyeing conditional FDA approval by 2027.Loyal’s third longevity drug, LOY-002, is even further along in development.The treatment targets senior dogs age 10 and up that weigh at least 14 pounds.It’s currently being tested in a large-scale clinical trial involving more than 1,200 dogs across 70 clinics, making it one of the biggest studies in veterinary history, according to Ha...