Thank you for contacting my office. I very much appreciate you getting in touch about animal research.
Animal research plays a vital role in providing safety information for potential new medicines. It is worth remembering that, as a result of findings from animal studies, a large number of potential new drugs never get as far as being tested in humans. Some aspects of the toxicological assessment of new medicines cannot be adequately assessed in humans, and animal data will be the only kind available.
I would like to reassure you that
the UK's rigorous regulatory system ensures that no animal testing or research
takes place if there is a non-animal alternative that would achieve the
scientific outcomes sought. The National Centre for the 3Rs (NC3Rs) is the UK’s
leading scientific based organisation dedicated to replacing, refining and
reducing the use of animals in scientific research and testing. The NC3Rs
supports the research community to use the latest science and technology to
replace animal studies, providing new approaches for biomedical research and
avoiding the time and cost associated with animal models.
Without animal testing it is highly
likely that a large number of potentially dangerous new medicines
would be tested in healthy volunteers and patients in clinical trials, and
I know ministers believe that this would be quite unacceptable. Indeed, I
welcome the Government's commitment to the development of non-animal
technologies. Such technologies have the potential to reduce the
reliance on the use of animals, improve the efficiency of drug research and
development and to deliver safer, cheaper, and more effective medicines to
patients. Ministers have also stressed that they continue to actively
support and fund the development and dissemination of techniques that
replace, reduce, and refine the use of animals in research.
Once
again, thank you for taking the time to write. If you require any further
assistance, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.
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