It is always a painful situation when a pet passes and the realization of this inevitability can be taxing to the whole family. Scientist Celine Halioua has made it her personal mission to give people more time with their beloved pets by developing special canine longevity pills.

So far, the founder and CEO of biotech startup, Loyal has raised over $135 million from investors, with the first iterations of the pill expected to hit the market by 2026, pending certain approvals by the FDA.

However, Halioua’s ambitions aren’t limited to expanding dogs’ lives, but eventually perhaps even those of humans. But this is a conversation for another time, as something like that would require enormous amounts of funding, collaboration and time.

Naturally, most people would be caught between excitement and suspicion behind such ambitions, as they may sound nice, but how would they work? Is there a catch?

These pills would act as a catalyst for the change of senior dogs’ metabolisms by essentially mimicking a low-calorie diet, as they have been found to help extend canine lifespans. 

Similarly, Value is working on pills and shots that would limit the production of a growth hormone that is highly prevalent in larger dogs, amounting to their even shorter lifespans. Most of the physically large dog breeds have a life expectancy of 8 to 12 years, and in some cases this is further reduced to 8 to 10 years.

Learning about the basic science behind the pills allows us to get a better understanding of the company’s vision and ambitions. These pills are not magic life extenders, but merely the next step in veterinary medicine, and their life-extending properties would simply be the result of the improved performance of a canine’s internal systems.

How has Loyal managed to convince large players from multiple fields and industries to back their product, though?

While it could be argued that most people have a soft spot for dogs—even if they do not have one themselves—businesspeople and millionaires don’t acquire such wealth by making investment decisions based on feelings.

And this is where the company’s extremely high ceiling comes into play.

Loyal and its work are highly esteemed by analysts, with the company even being named among Forbes’ “Next Billion-Dollar Startups 2025” hopefuls. This recognition indicates that there is much faith and hope for the company’s vision in technological, medical and entrepreneurial cycles, making it a valid investment option for those looking for the next big wave to ride.

With Cyprus facing several infrastructural and cultural challenges in regards to the treatment and welfare of older dogs, Loyal could possibly find high demand for their products on the island in the future.

According to volunteers in local animal shelters, dog abandonment is worsening slowly but steadily, with Cypriots being unable or in some cases, unwilling to look after their pets, resulting in a concerning rise of abandonment rates.

With state assistance being inadequate at the moment, shelters are struggling to keep up with the needs of the island’s canine population. As such, any product that boosts the long-term well-being of dogs could be of huge benefit to the animals as well as those desperately trying to take care of them.

While the promise of livelier and healthier dogs that keep us company for more years may sound like a dream, it must be emphasized that such breakthroughs take time and are bound to run into several hurdles.

That being said, modern medicine and technology are advancing at such a rapid pace that it is not outside the realm of possibility that this brilliant solution could become available worldwide within the next few years.