Ozempic mania comes for dogs and cats

As people continue to face shortages of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, their furry friends may soon be in luck: drugmakers are now working to develop comparable GLP-1 drugs for pets.

Okava Pharmaceuticals, a company that specializes in adapting human medicines for pets, recently published the results of a pilot study testing their weight loss drug, OKV-119, in domestic cats. The company worked with biopharmaceutical company Vivani to develop a drug delivery system for cats that would provide cats with the constant exposure to the drug that humans receive through regular injections.

Okava CEO Michael Klotsman said Bloomberg that the study "was really designed to test whether or not we were getting good drug release." Preliminary tests, however, found that some cats lost weight while taking the drug.

Okawa's study follows pet welfare company Better Choice acquiring Aimia Pet Healthco in February with the goal of developing a drug for their pets' weight loss. In both cases, the companies cited GLP-1 drugs as the basis for their developments.

"More than half of all dogs and cats worldwide are classified as overweight or obese and can suffer from the same weight-related health complications as humans – including arthritis, diabetes and high blood pressure," it said. a BetterChoice press release.

"The goal of the research and development work is to mirror the weight loss benefits of leading pet and human brands including Slentrol, Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro with added protein and nutrients from the Company's halo products to promote weak muscles and in general. pet health."

The Food and Drug Administration approved Slentrol, a weight management drug for dogs, in 2007. The drug was finally pulled from the market in 2014 — with some theorizing that human fault was hindering its popularity.

"I think I had one of the only dogs that was on it, and I'm going to sound really bad when I explain why," said Kristin Peck, chief executive of animal medicine company Zoetis. CNBC earlier this year.

"I don't think a lot of people wanted to put their dogs on weight loss medication, because if your dog is overweight, you have to accept that it's probably because you're not walking it and you're feeding it too much."

While Slentrol was not a GLP-1 drug, the next generation of pet weight loss products is expected to be more like Ozempic and similar products.

However, some vets warn that weight-loss medications can have adverse effects on animals – stressing that there are other non-pharmaceutical ways to treat obesity in pets.

"I would lean much more toward exhausting any traditional way of losing a pet's weight with diet, exercise, looking for internal endocrine issues," veterinarian Jeanne Ficociello told Bloomberg. "I would be much more inclined to go that route before considering a GLP-1."