Adam’s Journal
I read an article about anti-aging drugs for dogs. Last I checked, we hadn’t even developed such a thing for people. Is this for real? And what might it mean – or not – for we two-legged creatures?
Dr. Criley Prescribes
It is, indeed, for real. Right now, there are two major trials of anti-aging drugs for dogs.
The first is for a drug called rapamycin. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has already approved human use of rapamycin to prevent transplant rejection and to treat some types of cancer. Now, some people have begun taking it off-label to slow aging.
Researchers have begun a trial of rapamycin in dogs to look at a variety of health outcomes. One of them is whether weekly doses of the drug in older dogs leads to longer lifespans.
The second trial involves an investigational compound known as LOY-002. The experimental drug claims to target metabolic drivers of aging and, in early results, has been shown to reduce certain biomarkers – essentially, measurements of chemicals or processes – associated with aging.
The drug’s maker is now conducting a larger trial on dogs 10 years or older. Specifically, researchers are testing whether dogs who receive daily doses of the drug will live longer than their canine counterparts taking placebos.
This drug’s development represents a critical shift in thinking. Instead of targeting specific conditions related to aging – conditions like heart disease, diabetes and neurological disorders – LOY-002 is targeting the process of aging itself.
It’s too early to tell whether either of these drug trials will be successful. But if they are, which would be signaled by approval from the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, many dog owners would no doubt add the medications to their pets’ routine care.
While optimal nutrition, exercise and veterinary care will remain crucial to dogs’ health and well-being, these drugs could give us more time with our four-legged family members. And that would be a very good thing!
We humans share much with our canine companions, including the aging process and many of the diseases accompanying it. If either of these trials proves out, it could pave the way for anti-aging medications for people – and carry profound implications for us all.
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Dr. Jennie Criley is the attending veterinarian and director of comparative medicine at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. Adam Cohen is OMRF’s senior vice president and general counsel. Submit your health questions to contact@omrf.org.
