NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The world’s first GLP-1 weight loss treatment is being administered for pets on an experimental basis.
The first cat was successfully dosed in the MEOW-1 study of OKV-119 – an investigational “ultra-long acting” GLP-1 implant, which, according to a press release, is being developed for weight management in cats.
OKAVA Pharmaceuticals, the San Francisco-based manufacturer of the medication, said the landmark clinical study of the “first-in-class” device could have “profound” implications for diabetes, kidney disease, healthy aging and longevity in pets.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
The implant allows for continuous delivery of a GLP-1 receptor agonist, improving cardio-metabolic health and potentially “enhancing quality of life” while extending it, according to the release.
Once it is available, the single implant may be administered during a routine visit to a cat’s veterinarian, with guaranteed delivery of the medication for up to six months.
The MEOW-1 trial marks the first of its kind for clinical investigation of weight loss in cats and dogs, following the breakthrough of GLP-1 use in humans for the management of obesity and diabetes.
OKAVA CEO Michael Klotsman, Ph.D., wrote in a statement that caloric restriction, or fasting, is “one of the most well-established interventions for extending lifespan and improving metabolic health in cats.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
“But it’s also one of the hardest to maintain,” he said. “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 disruption of the human-animal bond that often centers around food.”
The MEOW-1 study aims to evaluate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of the weight-loss medication in overweight or obese cats. The results will guide future clinical development, as well as a similar study in dogs, according to the researchers.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Dr. W. Chris Hummel, a veterinarian at Lovet Pet Health Care in Phoenix, Arizona, who was not involved in the study, confirmed that several GLP-1 drugs are under investigation in domestic animals.
“Preliminary evidence suggests that GLP-1 and GLP-like drugs can be effective alternative therapies for diabetes mellitus, otherwise known as sugar diabetes,” he told Fox News Digital. “Diabetes mellitus is one of the fastest-growing diseases in cats and dogs, largely on the heels of the pet obesity epidemic.”
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
“The medications are given by injection, so long-acting combinations are currently being investigated for efficacy and duration,” Hummel added. “The data is still early, but promising.”
Read the full article here
