OKAVA Pharmaceuticals, a San Francisco-based biopharmaceutical company, has started a first-of-its-kind clinical trial evaluating a weight loss therapy for obese cats using a GLP-1 implant, the company said in a press release earlier this month.

With feline obesity rising sharply as an estimated 50 to 61 percent of cats in the United States are classified as overweight or obese, veterinarians, pet owners, and industry watchers see growing urgency for effective treatments beyond diet and exercise plans, The New York Times reported.

GLP-1 drugs have transformed diabetes and obesity management in humans , and their potential application for pets could signal a new era for animal health.

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OKAVA Pharmaceuticals dosed the first cat in its MEOW-1 study for OKV-119,

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