Dr. Linda Rhodes to Join Loyal’s Board of Directors
Animal health industry expert, most recently on the Zoetis Board of Directors, brings extensive experience developing and bringing FDA-approved veterinary drugs to market
SAN FRANCISCO — July 1, 2024 — Today, Loyal, a biotech company pioneering longevity drugs for dogs, announced that Dr. Linda Rhodes, VMD, PhD, has joined the company’s Board of Directors.
Dr. Rhodes has over four decades of experience in veterinary medicine and animal health. From 2017 to 2024, she served on the Board of Directors at Zoetis, a $79-billion company and the largest animal health company globally. Currently, she is a Director at Dalan Animal Health and Akston Biosciences. She has held senior leadership roles at several leading animal pharmaceutical companies, focusing on clinical research and development. In 2001, Dr. Rhodes founded AlcheraBio, a contract research organization and animal health consultancy, providing animal clinical trial services to animal health companies worldwide. After AlcheraBio’s successful sale to Argenta in 2008, she joined Aratana Therapeutics as founding CEO and then spent nearly four years as their Chief Scientific Officer. During her time at the company, Aratana achieved FDA approval for three companion animal drugs, the company successfully listed on the NASDAQ exchange and was acquired by Elanco Animal Health at a 40% premium.
“We are very excited to welcome Dr. Rhodes to Loyal,” said Loyal CEO and Founder Celine Halioua. “I have long looked up to her as a role model in the industry, especially as a female founder. Her deep experience across R&D, the regulatory process, and commercialization will be invaluable to us at this inflection point and as we prepare to bring our drugs to market.”
Dr. Rhodes holds a PhD in physiology from Cornell University and a VMD from the University of Pennsylvania. She is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Found Animals Foundation. She founded Feather in Her Cap, an organization dedicated to promoting women in the animal health industry.
Loyal currently has three drugs in development to extend healthy lifespan in dogs. LOY-001 and LOY-003 are designed to extend the healthy lifespan of large-breed dogs, and LOY-002 is designed for senior dogs 14 pounds and over. The company anticipates that LOY-002 will be available in 2025, pending FDA conditional approval.
About Loyal
Loyal is a biotech startup developing the first drugs intended to help dogs live longer, healthier lives. By targeting the underlying mechanisms of aging, Loyal hopes to extend the lifespan of dogs and maintain their quality of life as they age. For more information, please visit loyal.com.
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