Stop Outdated Cruel Animal Testing

Every day, in labs around the country, dogs, monkeys, rats, and other animals are forced to endure painful toxicity testing because of a flawed drug approval process. These animals spend their entire lives in barren laboratory settings, are forced to ingest—or are injected with—potentially toxic substances, endure various other painful and distressful procedures, and are killed when the test ends. 

These tests are not only cruel but inaccurate, with approximately 90% of drugs ultimately failing in human trials, an estimated half due to unexpected toxicity in humans following animal tests. We must do better. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been a key player in promoting these outdated tests—their guidance and regulations strongly encourage companies to conduct extensive animal tests to demonstrate that their drugs are safe for human use. Drug companies know that animal tests are the easiest and fastest path to FDA approval despite the availability of new human-based test methods that could reduce animal use immediately. 

Although we’re encouraged by FDA’s interest in advancing the development and use of non-animal testing, if we have any hope of ending the cruelty of animal testing, the FDA must commit to change. They must make it clear that animal tests are not the only option for drug approval and work to create incentives for companies to both use and develop non-animal testing methods. 

Your voice is crucial in this fight—please take a moment to contact the FDA and urge them to stop relying on outdated animal testing and instead commit to and prioritize a shift towards more accurate non-animal test methods.