ROLL OLDER, DOGGIE

Longevity Rx near

Getting up there in age can be ruff — but these new tricks might keep old dogs alive a little longer.

The first-of-its-kind longevity drug for pets — injections specifically intended to extend the life span of large breed dogs — is poised for mass unleashing.

Loyal, a San Francisco-based biotech company, announced Tuesday that the Food and Drug Administration has granted its jabs, known as LOY-001, a conditional approval. The drug works by reducing the abundance of a hormone in adult dogs that is known to breed bigger, but shorter-lived, dogs.

Great Danes and Bernese mountain dogs typically only live between six and nine years, while smaller canines like Chihuahuas and miniature poodles could live for up to 20 years. Loyal hopes to close that gap.

Slowing the clock

Celine Halioua, 29, who launched Loyal in January 2020 after dropping out of a doctorate program at Oxford University, told The Post that it’s unknown just how many years LOY-001 will add to a large dog’s life. However, the animal aficionsays ado its benefits are exto pected slow down the clock of a pup in its prime.

“We don’t know an actual quantitative extension number” that the drug will tack onto a life span, said Halioua, who adthat mitted the long-term outof comes dogs on the drug have yet to be tested. “The shots are expected to help bigger dogs have a higher quality of life for a longer time by reducing incidents of age-related diseases.

“For large dogs to be as big as they are, the things that help a dog grow really fast during puppyhood and puberty don’t fully turn off after the dog is fully grown,” Hailoua explained. “Bigger dogs are aging faster and dying sooner.”

The provisional green light from federal regulators means officials have determined that the drug presents a reasonable expectation of effectiveness in augmenting a pup’s life expectancy. However, a series of complex studies is required to complete the collection of definitive efficacy data and to meet the FDA’s manufacturing and safety criteria.

Eyes FDA approval

Once granted the official green light by the FDA, dogs over age 7 and weighing more than 40 pounds may be eligible for the LOY-001 shots, which are expected to be administered by their veterinarians every three to six months.

Loyal hopes to roll out the drug in 2026.

And Loyal’s could-be miracle drug might not only add more time and beef up the quality of life in dogs — it may also have anti-aging implications for human beings.

“We want to help the development of drugs that target the way dogs age and maybe one day how humans age,” said Halioua, “to reduce their risk of future age-related disease or death.”

She said researchers ultimately hope to “extend out those healthy middle years,” in both pets and their aging owners.