As the problem of obesity in companion animals around the world becomes serious, the pharmaceutical and bio industries are speeding up the development of obesity treatments exclusively for companion animals.
According to the Purina Institute, a research institute specializing in companion animals under Nestle in the U.S. on the 20th, the obesity rate of cats around the world was 63 percent and that of dogs was 59 percent as of last year. Purina said, “Although the statistics are not completely unified as a result of compiling individual studies by country, it is clear that the obesity rate of companion animals is rapidly increasing across North America, Europe and Asia.”
Obesity in companion animals is considered a factor that increases the risk of various diseases beyond simple weight gain. In particular, cats are more likely to develop chronic diseases such as diabetes and digestive disorders, and obese pets over the age of 8 have a higher risk of death than normal weight individuals.
Accordingly, the pharmaceutical and bio industries are focusing on the development of obesity treatments for companion animals using GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1). GLP-1 is a key ingredient such as Hugo Bee and Mountaineer, which are treatments for obesity for people, and it slows down the discharge of food from the stomach, regulating appetite and helping to lose weight.
In the United States, biotech companies Axone Bioscience and Prolix Therapeutics are leading related research.
Acston is developing a once-a-weekly administrative treatment and Prorix a once-a-monthly administrative treatment. Acston is conducting early clinical trials of its candidate AKS-562c in overweight and obese cats, and the clinical target can be expanded to up to 140.
The AKS-562c is designed to bind to a specific part of a protein antibody in response to an animal’s immune response, which enhances its long-lasting effect in the body. However, the company has not released specific details about the candidate substance and the experimental results.
JULIE KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
