A new anti-aging drug for dogs is expected to be available to buy by next year.
The groundbreaking treatment has not yet won approval.
It is expected to receive the nod from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2026.
Loyal, a San Francisco biotech firm behind the drug, told Fox News Digital they aim for the product to help millions of dogs across the US live longer and with better health.
There are currently no other drugs on the market that serve this purpose.
The medication is named LOY-001.
It is designed to slow aging in dogs that weigh 40 pounds or more.
LOY-001 focuses on animals’ metabolic health.
The company says it aims to “reduce the impact of age-associated diseases and maintain their quality of life as they age.”
“Our metabolism changes as we age, leading to reduced health, and dogs are no different.
By targeting the underlying mechanisms of aging, Loyal hopes to extend the lifespan of dogs and maintain their quality of life as they age,” the company says.
Celine Halioua, the company’s chief executive officer, expressed enthusiasm about the prospect of approval.
“Loyal was founded with the ambitious goal of developing the first drugs to extend a healthy lifespan in dogs. This milestone is the result of years of careful work by the team.”
Researchers say introducing this drug could spur development of similar treatments for people.
Carmen Castaneda Sceppa, dean of Bouvé College of Health Sciences at Northeastern, said the drug could improve our understanding of how metabolism affects human aging.
“Metabolic changes that are age related happen at the peak of adulthood,” she said.
“Starting around age 30, in terms of muscle mass, which is a very important tissue that contributes to metabolism and maintaining health in humans, we start to see that decline unless we are intentional about maintaining and grow muscle mass, like exercise would do.”