If you are interested in the longevity scene, like I am, you probably have seen press releases about the dog longevity company, Loyal for Dogs, getting a nod for efficacy from the FDA. These have come in the form of the New York Post calling the drug "groundbreaking", Science Alert calling the drug "radical", and the more sedate New York Times just asking, "Could Longevity Drugs for Dogs Extend Your Pet's Life?", presumably unaware of Betteridge's Law of Headlines. You may have also seen the coordinated Twitter offensive of people losing their shit about this, including their lead investor, Laura Deming, saying that she "broke down crying when she got the call".

And if you have been following Loyal for Dogs for a while, like I have, you are probably puzzled by this news. Loyal for Dogs has been around since 2021. Unlike any other drug company or longevity company, they have released almost zero information (including zero publications) about their strategy for longevity. It's surprising, to say the least, to see a company go from zero information to efficacy nod, because, well, what are you basing your efficacy on? How did you recruit your patients and veterinary partners to help you with efficacy? Did you make them all sign some incredibly airtight NDAs? If so, why?

These thoughts swirling around my head, I waded through the press releases trumpeting the end of dog death as we know it in order to figure out what exactly Loyal is doing for dog longevity. And, what I found first surprised me, then saddened me. Loyal did not prove efficacy in dog longevity. They found a path around the FDA instead. That's the surprising part. The sad part is that, in doing so, they relied on some really sketchy science. And I think that, based on their trajectory, they won't just be the first company to get a drug approved for longevity. They will be the first one to get a longevity drug pulled for non-efficacy as well, and put the field back years.

So let's start with how they got their drug approved in the first place. Well, they didn't. To get drugs approved in animals, you need to prove three things: efficacy, safety, and manufacturing consistency. Normally, efficacy is the hardest part of this, because you have to prove to the FDA that your drug cures the disease that it's supposed to. This is especially hard in aging, because any aging trial would take a long time. Loy...

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