India, Nov. 28 -- I f you're a pet parent, you know the feeling: you'd do absolutely anything to give your furry family member more healthy, happy years. Now, a biotech company may have taken the first big step toward making that possible. A new anti-ageing pill for dogs has just cleared a key U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) milestone. The FDA has certified that the daily pill shows a "reasonable expectation of effectiveness" in extending the lives of senior dogs. Approval for safety is still pending with the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine, but the progress marks a major moment in the world of veterinary science and pet care. The pill, developed by biotech startup Loyal, is called LOY-002, and its promise is simple: help dogs live longer, healthier lives. Although the news only recently went viral, Loyal had shared a major update back in February 2025, announcing in a blog post: "LOY-002, our program bringing longevity to dogs of almost all sizes, has also earned its formal FDA acceptance for reasonable expectation of efficacy (RXE)." The company said it had gathered extensive supporting data and aimed to complete all regulatory requirements by the end of 2025. If everything goes according to plan, the drug could become available as early as 2026, making it the first FDA-approved longevity drug for dogs. Loyal's founder and CEO, Celine Halioua, had said in a June 2025 interview with the New York Post, "We all want to figure out how to get more happy, healthy years for our loved ones, especially the furry ones." She also told the Washington Post that the company intends to keep the drug affordable - under $100 a month - so it's accessible to all instead of "jacking up the price and getting the millionaire dogs on the drug." Loyal is currently running clinical trials where dogs receive either the active pill or a placebo. LOY-002 is what scientists call a caloric-restriction mimetic. In simple terms, this means the pill aims to mimic the health benefits of eating fewer calories without requiring dogs to lose weight or eat less. This is significant because a long-term study had found that dogs on calorie-restricted diets lived around two years longer and had delayed onset of age-related diseases such as cancer and osteoarthritis. Loyal is seeking FDA approval for use in senior dogs aged 10 years and older, and dogs weighing at least 14 lbs (around 6.3 kg)....