Fur-ever young! Scientists develop a drug that can extend dogs’ lifespans by at least a YEAR

Saying goodbye to your family dog ​​can be one of life’s saddest moments; But scientists have developed a drug that will allow you to spend more time with your four-legged friend.

A San Francisco-based startup is developing a daily chewable pill for older dogs that they hope will extend your dog’s life by at least a year.

It works by targeting metabolic dysfunction, one of the most prolific drivers of aging, which plays a role in the development of arthritis, cancer and cognitive disorders.

The drug, called LOY-002, mimics the beneficial effects of calorie restriction without having to put your older dog on a strict diet.

More than 1,300 dogs at 72 veterinary clinics across the US have already been enrolled as part of the study, aptly named ‘STAY’.

“We either give them the drug or a placebo and follow them incredibly closely, collecting a mountain of really interesting data,” said Dr Brennan McKenzie, veterinary director at biotech company Loyal. Luck.

‘We hope that by the end of this, dogs using the drugs live longer, are less fragile, have a better quality of life and have fewer age-related diseases.’

And if it works in dogs, it could give hope for a similar drug for humans.

The drug, called LOY-002, mimics the beneficial effects of calorie restriction without having to put your older dog on a strict diet. Image: LOY-001 drug used in an earlier part of the study

The team behind the pill said they wanted owners to take a proactive approach while their dogs were healthy, rather than waiting for aging to take its toll on a dog’s health and then reacting to the resulting diseases.

The work, which currently takes two and a half years, is expected to take at least four years.

But the company has already reached a milestone; Received safety approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

This means that if the final approval hurdle is cleared, the pill could potentially become available before the study concludes.

“The FDA recognizes that these types of studies take a long time,” Dr McKenzie said. ‘It takes years and years for them to escape.

‘By the way, there is no medicine to solve this problem. There is nothing available to target aging and help dogs live longer.

‘So if we can show that it’s safe and likely to work, we can get it to dog owners and vets sooner.’

The study was designed to detect at least a one-year difference between dogs given the treatment and dogs receiving a placebo. The company has previously said they hope to keep the treatment under $100 (£74) a month.

The drug works by targeting metabolic dysfunction, one of the most prolific drivers of aging, which plays a role in the development of arthritis, cancer and cognitive disorders.

Boo, a Whippet, was the first dog in the STAY study to be dosed at age 11. The study was designed to detect at least a one-year difference between dogs given the treatment and dogs given a placebo.

For some dogs, this can mean an almost 10 percent increase in their overall lifespan.

But Dr McKenzie warned they hoped to show the drug could help dogs overall live longer.

‘As a veterinarian in general practice, I have the privilege of being a part of my patients’ lives at all stages, from puppyhood to their senior years,’ he said.

‘Seeing these older pets can be bittersweet because I also see the limits that aging begins to place on their lives.

‘They often move slower and less easily, and do less of the things they enjoy – walking around the neighborhood, chasing a ball, or even just jumping on the couch to cuddle with their humans.’

He explained that finding a way to extend a dog’s ‘best years’ and delay the challenges they face with aging would fill ‘a huge gap in our capacity to help dogs and their owners’.

If the FDA approves the drug, it would be the first time an anti-aging drug has been approved for any species.

It could then pave the way for better preventive medicine for humans, too.

On average, the life expectancy of a medium-sized dog is between 10 and 13 years.

However, in some cases dogs can live significantly longer than this; some may be over 20 years old.

According to Purina, simple steps dog owners can take to increase your dog’s life expectancy include feeding them a healthy diet and taking them to the vet regularly.

Daily walks and time spent playing also help your dog maintain a healthy weight, increase energy, and support a strong heart and immune system.