Pet Care Industry Is Dreaming of Dog and Cat Ozempic

Hi, it’s Cam in Boston. Companies are jumping into the red-hot GLP-1 market with a surprising new target: pets. But first...

Weight-loss drugs like Zepbound and Wegovy are flying off pharmacy shelves, bringing riches to drugmakers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk. Now, a few companies are looking to replicate that success — in household pets.

Okava Pharmaceuticals and Vivani Medical are jointly developing an implant to deliver GLP-1 drugs in cats. Pet food maker Better Choice bought Aimia Pet Healthco in February, a move to create weight-loss medications supplemented by its protein-based products.

“People will spend pretty close to anything on their animal,” says Better Choice Chairman Michael Young, a Wegovy user himself. Giving your pet a drug that you’re already taking would “not be a far leap.”

About 60% of Americans’ cats and dogs are either overweight or obese according to a 2022 survey by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. While there’s always the option of feeding your pets less, the prospect of an unhappy underfed animal isn’t always appealing, particularly when the owner is already enjoying the benefits of anti-obesity drugs, as some 6% of American adults are, according to a poll by KFF.