"The most important milestone in the history of longevity biotech" — Archival Interview with Celine Halioua (Founder/CEO of Loyal)
Dec 2, 2023
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Celine Halioua, Founder/CEO of Loyal, announced FDA approval for a drug that can extend lifespan, a groundbreaking milestone in longevity biotech. The podcast explores the pursuit of immortality, targeting root causes of aging, challenges in aging research, and a young female founder's experience in the biotech industry.
Loyal, a dog longevity biotech startup, has received the FDA's first-ever formal acceptance for developing and approving a drug aimed at extending lifespan.
This achievement is considered the most significant milestone in the history of longevity biotech, setting a precedent for obtaining FDA approval for lifespan extension drugs.
Loyal's CEO envisions a future where human lifespan is extended and age-related diseases are prevented through drug development, with the ultimate goal of improving human health and well-being.
Deep dives
Drug approval for lifespan extension announced by Loyol
Loyol, a dog longevity biotech startup, has announced that it has received the FDA's first-ever formal acceptance for developing and approving a drug aimed at extending lifespan. Loyol's CEO, Selene Haliwah, expressed her excitement for this groundbreaking milestone and highlighted the company's focus on developing drugs for healthy and longer lives, without targeting specific diseases. While the drug cannot be sold yet and further safety and manufacturing steps are needed, this achievement marks significant progress for Loyol and the field of longevity biotech.
Laura Deming, a prominent longevity biotech investor, has praised Loyol's achievement, considering it the most significant milestone in the history of longevity biotech. She emphasizes the transformative impact of Loyol's success in obtaining FDA acceptance for lifespan extension drugs. Deming expresses admiration for the rapid progress made by Loyol within just four years, noting that the idea of obtaining FDA approval for lifespan extension was considered impossible only a few years ago. This milestone sets a promising precedent for biotech founders and regulators in establishing a pathway for lifespan-extended drugs, initially for dogs.
Loyol's mission to extend human lifespan
Selene Haliwah, founder and CEO of Loyol, envisions a future where human lifespan is extended and age-related diseases are prevented through drug development. Loyol currently focuses on longevity for dogs, but Haliwah's long-term objective is to build a SpaceX-like initiative to extend human lifespan and make it as prominent as the idea of interplanetary travel. Highlighting the need for preventive medicine in aging, Haliwah aims to develop drugs that delay the aging process and reduce the onset of age-related diseases. By compressing mortality and improving the quality of life in old age, Loyol strives to contribute to human health and well-being.
The Importance of Funding the FDA
The speaker believes that the FDA should be better funded to allow for more efficient drug approval processes. They argue that the FDA's current resource constraints and limited bandwidth hinder timely decision-making, resulting in lengthy approval timelines. By increasing funding and staffing, the FDA could significantly reduce wait periods and provide faster opinions on potential treatments. The podcast highlights the need to separate funding the FDA from political biases, as increasing their capabilities would benefit both industry and public health.
The Promising Future of Aging and Drug Development
The podcast explores the potential of aging as a major drug development focus. Despite being a complex and multifaceted field, aging affects various diseases, including cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. The speaker expresses optimism about the growing interest and investment in aging research, with many reputable organizations and companies working on innovative solutions. They believe that the first aging-related drug approval is likely to happen in the next decade. Addressing the funding problem in the space and attracting patient capital could further accelerate progress in combating the challenges associated with aging.
Earlier this week Celine Halioua (ODF2), founder and CEO of Loyal — a dog longevity biotech startup — announced something truly groundbreaking.
Loyal (ODF2) has earned what they believe to be the FDA’s first-ever formal acceptance that a drug can be developed and approved for lifespan extension.
As Celine says in her announcement; “I started Loyal 4 years ago with the explicit goal to get the first drug FDA approved for lifespan extension itself - no disease, just healthy, longer"..."We can't start selling the drug yet - we need to complete the safety and manufacturing technical sections - but this represents the lions share of the 'existential risk' of both the drug program, and of Loyal AKA - we are doing it!!!”
Laura Deming is a longevity biotech investor with an incredible batting average. 5 of 18 startups she’s backed so far have gone public. She was the first investor in Loyal and had this to say:
"This just dropped - the most important milestone in the history of longevity biotech. put simply, this is the FDA’s first-ever formal acceptance that a drug can be developed and approved to extend lifespan. the longevity field is evolving quickly. No one I know in the field would have said this was possible 5 years ago. Celine got it done in 4. It’s a massive win for both biotech founders and regulators, in establishing a pathway by which drugs (initially for dogs) can get approved for lifespan"
You’re about to listen to an archival interview with Celine just one and a half years into starting Loyal which is now 4 years old. It’s an incredible conversation with interviewer Marshall Kosloff and shows just how much can be accomplished in a few short years.
Congrats to Celine and the entire Loyal team on what is truly an unparalleled milestone.
Are you exploring starting a company we’ve got a program for that?
ODF has helped 1k companies like Loyal which was ODF2 get started and go on to raise over $2B. Applications for our 20th cohort in San Francisco are now . Learn more and apply at beondeck.com
