A new clinical trial is testing whether popular GLP-1 weight-loss medications can be adapted for cats. San Francisco-based Okava Pharmaceuticals has begun MEOW-1, a study that will place a small subcutaneous implant called OKV-119 in 50 cats. The device is designed to release a GLP-1 drug steadily over about six months.
Okava CEO Michael Klotsman says the implant is “designed to mimic many of the physiological effects of fasting — improved insulin sensitivity, reduced fat mass, and more efficient energy metabolism — without requiring significant changes in feeding routines or disrupting the human-animal bond that often centers around food.” The company says the therapy could boost cats’ quality of life and support healthier aging.
Obesity is common in pets: experts estimate roughly six in 10 U.S. cats carry excess weight. That has prompted veterinarians to look beyond the long-standing advice to “feed less, exercise more,” which Dr. Ernie Ward, a leading pet obesity expert, says “just doesn’t work for all types of obesity.” Ward points to human research suggesting GLP-1 drugs may do more than shrink waistlines — they can lower diabetes risk and produce other long-term health gains — but he emphasizes the main open questions for pets are how well the treatment works, what side effects appear, and whether it will be affordable.
Okava is targeting about $100 per month for the treatment if it reaches the market. Pet owners are already weighing the option: Savannah Tielking, whose 10-year-old cat Runkle weighed 21 pounds at his last check, said she would consider the implant if her veterinarian recommended it after other options had failed and a diabetes diagnosis or similar concern emerged.
MEOW-1 is expected to report results next summer. If the data are promising, Okava plans to seek FDA approval for use in cats within the next two years and later pursue an indication for dogs. The trial represents an early step in determining whether human-style metabolic drugs can be safely and effectively repurposed to treat obesity and related conditions in companion animals.