Who is responsible for animal testing?

Championing Methods To Replace Animal Testing

The Physicians Committee works with government and industry to replace the use of animal tests with modern methods to test the safety of cosmetics, chemicals, pesticides, drugs, and other products.

Through lobbying, publishing research, training scientists, and attending and conducting scientific meetings, the Physicians Committee is dedicated to the goal of eliminating the use of animal testing across the globe.

COVID-19

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Physicians Committee has advocated for the use of nonanimal research methods in the search for treatments and a vaccine for COVID-19 and in the study of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

Report: Powerful Human-Relevant Biomedical Approaches for Studying and Responding to the Novel Coronavirus

Cruelty-Free Cosmetics

In 2018, the Physicians Committee co-sponsored the Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act, which California signed into law. The law will make it unlawful for cosmetic manufacturers to sell any cosmetic in California if the final product or any component of the product was tested on animals after Jan. 1, 2020, with some exceptions for regulatory requirements. The Physicians Committee continues to work for federal reform that will eliminate animal testing for cosmetics.

Chemical Testing Reform

The Physicians Committee spent more than a decade working with the federal government and industry to include reforms that reduce and replace animal testing in the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976. In 2016, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act was signed into law. The law requires chemical companies and the Environmental Protection Agency to replace and reduce animal tests and increase the use of human-relevant methods.

The Physicians Committee also played a central role in the publication of plans by the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration to replace animal tests with nonanimal methods.

The Physicians Committee is working directly with Congress and regulatory agencies to ensure that, in time, all batches of injectable drugs and vaccines, including those against COVID-19, are tested using nonanimal methods.

International Efforts

Since 2006, the Physicians Committee has served as the Secretariat of the International Council for Animal Protection in OECD Programmes (ICAPO), which works for the widest possible implementation of measures to replace, reduce, and refine animal tests within OECD guidelines and programs. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is an intergovernmental standard-setting organization that sets harmonized chemical testing guidelines worldwide.

Training on New Approaches

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, for decades, has advocated for human-relevant safety regulatory testing. With the rapid pace of technological advancements, it can become challenging to stay abreast of progressive methodologies within certain regulatory jurisdictions. Our toxicologists partner with leading experts in the fields of in vitro and in silico toxicology to promote and develop New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) and other non-animal approaches geared towards regulatory application. Designed for interested stakeholders, we provide training like the NURA program and resources similar to NAMs within TSCA.

Tail of Toxics: Improving Chemical Safety Without Animals

Learn about the flaws of animal tests and modern methods that will produce safer chemicals and a healthier environment.

Animals in scientific research

• Comply with the Guidelines on the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes set forth by the National Advisory Committee for Laboratory Animal Research (NACLAR). More information on NACLAR can be found below
• Obtain a licence from the Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS)
• Allow AVS to carry out inspection of the research facilities, as part of licensing conditions

To apply for a licence, click here.

National Advisory Committee for Laboratory Animal Research (NACLAR)

The National Advisory Committee for Laboratory Animal Research (NACLAR) was established in 2003 to develop national guidelines for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes in Singapore. The committee comprises representatives from academia, research organisations, AVS, veterinarians, the community, as well as legal and ethical specialists.

To promote humane and responsible care and use of animals for scientific purposes in Singapore, NACLAR established the NACLAR Guidelines on the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes.

These guidelines cover all aspects of the care and use of animals for scientific purposes, including use of them in teaching, field trials, environmental studies, research, diagnosis, product testing, and the production of biological products.

There are four sections in the Guidelines, namely “Guiding Principles”, “The IACUC”, “Training”, and “Occupational Health and Safety”.

1. Guiding PrinciplesThis section describes the overall guiding principles to promote the humane and responsible care and use of animals for scientific purposes in Singapore, in accordance with the 3Rs. The 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement) refer to: 

• The replacement of animals with alternative methods.
• The reduction of the number of animals used.
• The refinement of projects and techniques used to minimise impact on animals.

2. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee(IACUC)This section describes the operational aspects pertaining to the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). All institutions with research facilities are required to establish their own IACUC to assume this function. The IACUC is responsible for the oversight and evaluation of an institution’s animal care and use programme, and for ensuring that the care and use of animals for scientific purposes and all animal experimental procedures are in compliance with the Guidelines.

3. TrainingThis section outlines the training scope and requirements for users of animals for research and animal facilities personnel.  It is to assist IACUCs in determining the scope and depth of the educational and training programmes that will meet both institutional needs and the requirements of NACLAR. This includes the scope of the core curriculum and the relevant core competencies, such as special courses for animal procedures. All users of animals for research should undergo appropriate training before carrying out any experiments using animals.

4. Occupational Health and SafetyThis section includes general information on occupational health and safety in animal care and use programmes, as well as more specific information on hazard identification and risk assessment; control and prevention strategies; managing animal experimentation involving hazards; medical evaluation and preventative medicine for personnel; and facilities, equipment and monitoring. Each institution should establish and maintain an occupational health and safety programme (OHSP) as an essential part of its animal care and use programme, which must be consistent with applicable legislation and guidelines.

For more information on the NACLAR guidelines, please click here.

Who does the most animal testing?

How is animal testing funded?

Why is animal testing still allowed?

Is animal testing illegal?