If all goes well with the clinical trials, a new anti-aging drug for dogs could be approved for use by 2026. The longevity drug, which is codenamed LOY-001, has the potential to extend the lifespan and health of large and giant breed dogs.
As the devoted pet parent of a 9-year-old Rottweiler (Bailey) and a 10-year-old Beagle (Olivia), I’m a realist about their longevity. I know the number of years they have in front of them are getting short. So, when a press release popped into my email about LOY-001, I nearly tipped over my desk with excitement.
And if that wasn’t enough good news, I came across a second equally exciting anti-aging medication when I started to research LOY-001. The second drug is also in clinical trials through the Dog Aging Project. It’s an antibiotic called Rapamycin and was recently it was found to “delay age-related diseases” in dogs.
Because there is so much good news to share, I decided to give you an overview about both of these medications and how your dog can participate in the trials.
LOY-001 is from a company called Loyal
Loyal is a San Francisco based animal health biotech company that’s made up of veterinarians and scientists. The group is focused on “understanding and treating the underlying causes of canine aging.”
One theory for the discrepancy appears to be higher levels of a growth hormone called IGF-1 in big dogs.
To improve the odds Loyal developed an injectable drug, they named LOY-001, to reduce the level of IGF-1.
Last year the company conducted a small clinical trial on dogs who were at least 7 years old and weighted 40lbs or more. The results proved to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that LOY-001 can successfully lower growth hormone levels and that it offers promising antiaging properties. Now Loyal is working toward a conditional approval from the FDA to release the drug by 2026.
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A new clinical trial for your dog
In the meantime, Loyal is conducting a new trial of a daily anti-aging pill they have named Stay or LOY-002. The study will be held at 62 veterinary hospitals throughout the United States with 1,000 dogs participating. Loyal is actively recruiting dogs for the clinical trial at this time.
The goal will be to compare the lifespan, health, and quality of life in dogs taking Stay against dogs that are given a placebo pill.
Here’s the criteria to enroll:
To enroll in the Stay study, email [email protected] and include your city and state.
Rapamycin study
Rapamycin is an interesting medication that helps patients with a variety of health problems. It was originally used to treat antifungal diseases and suppress the immune system.
In the late 1990s the FDA approved Rapamycin for use in organ transplants because it prevented patients from rejecting a donated organ. The medicine also seems to be able stop cells from dividing in cancer patients.
Their team is conducting an ongoing clinical trial with tens of thousands of dogs. The goal is to identify which factors in a dog’s life contribute most to longevity. Researchers are analyzing how a dog’s breed, lifestyle and environment factor into the length of their life. Their goal is to increase the ability to “prevent, diagnose and treat age-related diseases.”
To date the Rapamycin study has shown researchers that it can improve a dog’s heart function. Participants in the initial 10-week study had either improved or stable heart functions. None of the dogs in the trial declined in health.
How your dog can participate
The Dog Aging Project includes researchers from the University of Washington, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and veterinarians from around U.S. It follows the health and lives of dogs for 10 years or more.
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