Popular GLP-1 weight loss drugs could soon be available for pets.
Okava Pharmaceuticals, based in San Francisco, just launched MEOW-1 — a clinical study that utilizes a tiny, under-the skin implant in 50 cats to release a GLP-1 medication drug over six months.
The implant, called OKV-119, "is designed to mimic many of the physiological effects of fasting — improved insulin sensitivity, reduced fat mass, and more efficient energy metabolism — without requiring significant changes in feeding routines or disrupting the human-animal bond that often centers around food," Michael Klotsman, the CEO of Okava, said in a news release Wednesday.
It has the potential to enhance cats' quality of life and promote healthy aging, according to the company.
Experts say roughly six in 10 cats in the U.S. are carrying too much weight.
"In veterinary medicine for the last 100 years, the only prescription we had was feed less, exercise more, and that just doesn't work for all types of obesity," said Dr. Ernie Ward, a top pet obesity expert.
Ward said the benefits could go beyond weight loss, pointing to human data that shows improvements in diabetes risk and long-term health.
"That's why we're so excited because when we look at, especially in cats, one of the biggest health threats is obesity and then diabetes," Ward said, adding the biggest unknowns going into the trial include efficacy, side effects and cost.
Okava said it is aiming for the drug to cost owners about $100 per month.
It's something Savannah Tielking said she would consider for her 10-year-old cat Runkle, who weighed 21 pounds the last time he was checked.
"He spends most of his days sleeping. He's a lounger … big lounger," she said. "I think that if my vet came to me and was like, 'He's diabetic. We've tried everything else. We should consider that' – then most definitely."
Results from the MEOW-1 trial are expected next summer. The company will seek FDA approval for cat use in the next two years – with dogs not far behind.
Can weight loss drugs be used for pets?
Could weight loss drugs be used to treat obese pets?
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