It’s a sad fact that dogs don’t live as long as we would like. The average dog lives around 8 to 15 years, with large breeds having shorter lifespans than smaller breeds. Our canine friends manage to pack a lot of love into those years, but wouldn’t it be wonderful if there were a way to keep them alive and healthy much longer? There soon may be.
Scientists are working to develop drugs that could extend dogs’ lifespans and health spans. Late last year, Loyal, a San Francisco biotech company, announced that the Food and Drug Administration had granted what is known in the parlance of drug regulation as a “reasonable expectation of effectiveness” for a drug the company has in development.
If effective, the medication would extend the lifespan of large-breed dogs. The FDA decision isn’t about approval of the drug, but it is an important step toward that goal.
