Human drug breakthroughs find new life in pet medicine
Biotech firms in Korea and abroad are racing to develop pet treatments for obesity, arthritis, dementia and aging as demand rises with longer-lived companion animals.
A dog jumps into a pool in Mapo District, western Seoul, on July 26. This photo is unrelated to the story.YONHAP
Medicines that once existed only for people are beginning to reshape the lives of pets.
A six-year-old Korean Shorthair cat has recently become obese and its eagerness to climb the cat tower throughout the day has faded. The feline is now noticeably less active and even struggles to groom itself. Although Kim, the cat's owner, switched the pet to a weight-control diet, the extra pounds have proven difficult to shed.
"I'm worried because obesity can lead to other health problems," Kim said. "If an obesity drug for pets becomes available, I'd like to consult a veterinarian about it."
Korean and overseas biotech firms are broadening their pipelines to include anti-aging and chronic disease treatments for companion animals.
The pet healthcare market is moving beyond food and supplements into prescription medicines as more owners treat their companion animals like family members — almost equal in standing with humans. The market’s focus is expanding from traditional vaccines and antibiotics to chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, arthritis and dementia.
"Humans and companion animals share similar living environments and disease patterns, and clinical experience accumulated through treating pets can also support research and development of human medicines," an industry sourcesaid while explaining biopharmaceutical companies’ recent entry to the animal drug industry.
A pet wears sunlight-protection goggles at an exhibition held in southern Seoul on July 17. This photo is unrelated to the story.YONHAP
Seoul-based Daewoong Pet is offering ursodeoxycholic acid, or UDCA, tablets to treat liver disease in animals, while HK inno.N in North Chungcheong has applied for sales approval of itscanine atopic dermatitis treatment.
Gyeonggi-based GNT Pharma launched Geda Cure, a treatment for canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome, in 2021. Geda Cure exceeded 10 billion won ($6.81 million) in cumulative sales a year and a half after its launch. The company is also developing additional therapies for neurological disorders.
Ensol Biosciences, headquartered in Daejeon, is developing an osteoarthritis treatment for companion animals. Vaxcell Bio in South Jeolla is working on an immune cell-based cancer therapy for dogs. Other domestic drugmakers are broadening their research into veterinary medicines for chronic diseases including diabetes and skin disorders.
The growing research and development reflects both rising pet ownership and an aging pet population.
A total of 29.2 percent of Korean households owned companion animals in 2025, up from 25.4 percent in 2022, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
As advances in veterinary care extend pets' lifespans, demand for treatments targeting chronic conditions such as obesity, dementia, cancer and arthritis is also rising rapidly. Pet owners are increasingly focused not just on extending lifespan, but on improving healthy lifespan.
A dog is groomed at a contest in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on Nov. 4, 2025. This photo is unrelated to the story.NEWS1
One of the fastest-growing areas overseas is obesity treatment.
The share of overweight pet dogs in the United States rose from 43 percent in 2010 to 59 percent in 2022, while the figure for cats increased from 53 percent to 61 percent over the same period, according to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention.
As obesity in pets, much like in humans, is increasingly linked to chronic illnesses such as diabetes and arthritis, competition to develop glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-based treatments is intensifying.
Massachusetts-based Akston Biosciences is developing AKS-562c, a GLP-1-based obesity treatment designed specifically for cats. The company is conducting clinical trials in partnership with the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine involving overweight and obese cats.
Okava Pharmaceuticals from San Francisco is also targeting the obesity and diabetes market with "OKV-119," a long-acting GLP-1 subcutaneous implant.
A cat gazes at sprouting leaves in a garden in Gyeonggi on Feb. 19. This photo is unrelated to the story.YONHAP
Some advanced veterinary medicines have already reached the market. Zoetis, the world's largest animal health company, launched “Librela” for canine osteoarthritis and “Solensia” for feline osteoarthritis in 2020. Both are leading examples of antibody therapies originally developed for humans being successfully adapted for veterinary medicine.
Drug developers are now moving beyond treating disease to targeting aging itself. U.S. biotechnology company Loyal is developing "LOY-002," an oral drug candidate designed to extend healthy lifespan in older dogs. The candidate recently received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's acknowledgment of its safety, which allowed the company to move forward in the agency's conditional approval process.
Market research firm Fortune Business Insights projects that the global pet pharmaceuticals market will grow from $21.38 billion this year to $38.87 billion by 2034.
"Demand for treating chronic diseases continues to grow as companion animals live longer, but there is still a shortage of medicines specifically designed for factors such as weight-based dosing, long-term safety and ease of administration," another industry source said. "The veterinary pharmaceutical market still has significant room for growth."
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
