Could weight loss drugs turn fat cats into svelte Ozempets?

GLP-1 drugs for pets could be the next frontier for the blockbuster drug

- EMILY ANTHES

IN JUST A few short years, new diabetes and weight loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro have taken the world by storm.

In the United States, one in eight adults say they’ve tried one of these medications, which are known as GLP-1 drugs, and that number seems sure to rise as prices fall and new oral formulations hit the market. Fluffy and Fido could be next.

On Tuesday, Okava Pharmaceuticals, a San Francisco-based biopharma company, will announce a pilot study of a GLP-1 drug for obese cats. Instead of weekly injections, cats will receive a small under-the-skin implant that slowly releases medication for up to six months. “You insert that capsule under the skin, and then you come back six months later, and the cat has lost the weight,” said Chen Gilor of the University of Florida, who is leading the study. Results are expected next summer.