What Loyal’s LOY-002 RXE milestone means: A practicing vet’s perspective
As a vet in general practice, I am privileged to be a part of my patients’ lives through all stages—from puppyhood to their senior years. Being smothered in kisses by an exuberant puppy or jumped on by an enthusiastic, if not yet fully trained, adolescent are joyful parts of my job. But a quiet tail wag from a senior dog I’ve watched grow up and grow old is just as joyful.
Seeing these older pets, though, can be bittersweet because I also see the limits that aging has begun putting on their lives. All too often, they are moving slower and less easily and doing less of the things they enjoy—walking in the neighborhood, chasing a ball, or even just jumping up on the couch to cuddle with their humans.
While I will always be grateful for the chance to care for my patients in all stages of their lives, having a way to extend their best years and delay the challenges they face with aging will fill a huge gap in our capacity to help dogs, and their owners.
Senior dogs may also have more serious problems. Age-related diseases, such as cancer, arthritis, and chronic kidney disease, can cause pain, take away their appetite, and lessen their quality of life. Cognitive dysfunction can lead to disturbing behavior such as wandering and vocalizing at night or failing to recognize and respond normally to familiar people, damaging the bond between the dog and their human family. All of these consequences of aging can so severely hamper quality of life that our clients are forced to wrestle with the hardest decision for any pet owner.
Every stage of life for my patients has its beauty, and it is as much a privilege to help an older dog pass on peacefully as it is to give those first vaccines to the young pup. But all of us treating senior dogs can’t help wishing there was more we could do to put off the burdens that aging lays on our canine patients and their human family. We have a lot of tools for identifying and managing the health problems that occur with aging, but we also need preventive tools to slow down the decline and put off those problems as long as possible.
Fortunately for me, I also get to work at Loyal, where our focus is on doing just that—making tools to give the dogs we love more healthy, happy time with their people. The recent FDA acceptance of RXE (Reasonable Expectation of Effectiveness) for LOY-002 is another major milestone on the road to bringing these therapies into the clinic for vets like me.
The RXE milestone for LOY-001 was the first of its kind, and this was great news for bigger dogs, who often suffer more and sooner from the burdens of aging. Achieving this same milestone for LOY-002 is equally exciting because it significantly expands the number of dogs we can potentially help stay active and healthy for longer.
LOY-002 aims to address the metabolic dysfunction that all dogs experience as they age, leading to a lower quality of life and higher risk of disease and even death. If we achieve approval and bring this drug to veterinarians, it will be a powerful new tool to potentially treat millions of dogs. While I will always be grateful for the chance to care for my patients in all stages of their lives, having a way to extend their best years and delay the challenges they face with aging will fill a huge gap in our capacity to help dogs, and their owners.
I have always had dogs myself, and I have watched many grow from puppies to adults to seniors all too quickly. Being able to keep them with me and, more importantly, to keep them happy and healthy longer, is something I have long wished for as much as any other dog owner. This step towards LOY-002’s approval means as much to me personally as it does professionally.