I'd happily put my food-obsessed dog on 'Wagovy'

With the news that a US biotech firm is trialling a dog-friendly version of Ozempic, dubbed “doggy Ozempic”, “Wagovy” or “Ozempup”, many people with food-obsessed dogs like mine will be eager to get it.

- CHARLOTTE CRIPPS

Others will judge it as taking the whole weight-loss drug boom to ridiculous new levels, but they don't understand what I go through daily with my golden retriever, Muggles.

Jabs for dogs are set to become the new norm as canine obesity hits a crisis point. Latest figures show that 50 per cent of British dogs are overweight, a 5 per cent increase from 2014, according to research by the trade body UK Pet Food.

The challenge for scientists is to find an alternative pet version of semaglutide and tirzepatide - the active ingredients in drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro that in humans mimic the GLP-1 hormone in our bodies that suppresses the appetite, controls blood sugar levels, increases feelings of fullness and slows digestion to help people lose weight.

But the good news is that Okava, a company in San Francisco that aims to produce it with Vivani Medical, might have come up with the goods. Its drug, OKV-119, contains a GLP-1 mimic called exenatide and would be delivered via an implant under the dog's skin, lasting six months.

Okava claims its product could be on the market by 2028 or 2029. I can't wait to get my hands on it for Muggles. But at this rate, he might be dead before it's licensed.