(Image via loyalfordogs.com) 

Staff Writer: Olivia Beaudette

Email: obeaudette@umassd.edu

Dogs bring so much joy to people’s lives. Every dog owner wants their furry friend to live forever. Now, thanks to a company in San Francisco, your dog can live longer than expected. 

The idea of our furry friends living longer than we think doesn’t appear impossible anymore.

Loyal is a biotech company based in San Francisco looking to make many dog owners happy. Loyal aims to create a drug that gives large dog breeds a longer and healthier lifespan.

Loyal has created three different drugs that can be used to enhance the lifespan of dogs. Those three are called LOY-001, LOY-002, and LOY-03. Each of these drugs focuses on improving the lifespan and health of dogs.

What is Loyal?

Loyal is a biotech company from San Francisco working to change dogs’ lives.

Their mission statement is, “Our mission is to help dogs everywhere live longer, healthier lives.”

How do these drugs work?

These drugs reduce the IGF-1  (insulin-like growth factor) in adult dogs. IGF-1 is a hormone that works with growth hormones to assist the growth of bones and tissues in the dog’s body.

Scientists believe lowering the IGF-1 level will result in longer lives for large dogs because after comparing small dog breeds to large dog breeds, they noticed that smaller dogs had lower IGF-1 levels than the bigger dogs. Since smaller dogs usually live longer than large dog breeds, scientists decided to experiment with the IGF-1 levels of large dogs.

What’s the difference between the three drugs?

All three drugs use the same process to give dogs a longer and healthier life, but the three focus on different types of dogs and are entered into the body differently.

LOY-001 is a drug that will be injected into large dog breeds every 3-6 months by a veterinarian. LOY-002 is a daily pill meant for all but the smallest senior dogs. LOY-003 is also a daily pill for large dog breeds.

LOY-001 is designed for healthy dogs at least seven years old and weighing more than 40 pounds. Loyal plans to begin trials for LOY-001 on 1,000 large dogs in 2024 or 2025 and hopes to have a product on the market in 2026. 

LOY-002 is expected to be available for purchase in 2025.

Is it FDA-approved?

All three drugs are awaiting FDA approval of manufacturing and safety data; they are all on track to be approved and have the products on the market.

Even after it gets approved, certain aspects of the drugs are unknown, such as: 

• Side Effects
• Long-Term Risks or Complications
• Risks When Taking Other Medications or Supplements
• Risks With Underlying Diseases
• Effectiveness in Decreasing Common Diseases
• Cost-Effectiveness

Is it going to be affordable for most people?

Loyal aims to make its future products affordable for most pet owners. They are currently reviewing how to make this product affordable for the average person.

Will these drugs only be used for dogs?

Since both humans and dogs have the IGF-1 hormone, scientists aim to use what they learned from the dogs as a guide to create an anti-aging pill for humans, too, eventually.

Within the next couple of years, Loyal hopes to have products on the market that will start the journey to anti-aging for animals and humans. 

Every pet owner wishes their pet could live forever, and it seems that in a few years, they’ll have the chance to have their furry friends around for a few more years.