Why is animal testing a problem?
Every year, millions of animals are used in British laboratories. The most common areas of research that use animals in testing include cancer, nervous and mental disorders and infectious disorders. While research in these areas is vital to developing treatments for human diseases, animal testing can slow medical breakthroughs that support human health.Â
Key points against animal testing:
- 92% of drugs fail in human clinical trials following animal tests. Positive results from animal tests can’t guarantee that a drug will be safe for patients, and has led to some catastrophic incidents in human clinical trials in the past.
- Animal testing for medical research is not required by law in the UK. Despite this latest research shows that, in 2024, 26% of all UK animal experiments were carried out for regulatory purposes, using 254,431animals – of which 1,651 were beagles or other dogs.
- Animals are used in research because of their genetic similarity to humans – yet while we share up to 98% of our DNA with some animals, it’s the small yet important differences that make us distinct. Many diseases like Alzheimer’s and HIV are unique to humans, meaning animals cannot truly replicate them, even with genetic modifications.
How can we end animal testing?
Innovative technologies, known as new approach methodologies (NAMs), can effectively and safely replace animal experiments in research and drug development..
These technologies are human-specific, accurately mimicking the way human cells and organs behave, while being more accurate in predicting how a drug interacts with the human body than an animal.
NAMs are opening doors to a world of exciting research opportunities providing insight into human diseases like never before and hope for urgently needed new treatments to help patients.
