We are delighted that the BMJ has published an Opinion article by our research director, Dr Pandora Pound and Merel Ritskes-Hoitinga, professor of evidence-based transition to animal-free innovations at Utrecht University.
You can read the article here: https://www.bmj.com/content/386/bmj.q1600.
The opening and closing paragraphs are below:
We must develop a funded, evidence based transition programme to enable a shift to safe and effective human biology based approaches in research
In February 2024, the Conservative government announced its intention to accelerate the development and uptake of technologies to reduce the use of animals in science, promising publication of a transition strategy this summer.1 Hopes are high that Labour will honour this commitment since, according to its manifesto, the party aim to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing.” In our view, a transition away from reliance on animals in research cannot happen soon enough; we believe that pre-clinical animal research is impeding medical progress, wasting resources, and resulting in enormous unmet need for patients.
…
The notion that animal research saves human lives has become part of our collective belief system. But this belief is not based on scientific evidence. The debate about animal research has traditionally been portrayed as an animal welfare issue, but we need to grasp that this is about human health too. This is a public health issue. Let’s hope the new government recognises this and acts accordingly.
