EFPIA announces animal test reduction

The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations has announced a reduction in the number of animals used in safety testing of new drugs. The move follows an extensive review by 18 drugmakers and the UK's National Center for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs). The results, published in the Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology journal, show that a 70% fall in the number of animals used in toxicity tests has already been achieved.

According to a joint statement by the EFPIA and the NC3Rs, toxicity testing accounts for 4% of all animal experiments in the European region. In the case of rats and mice, an estimated 15,000 fewer subjects are required as a consequence of the review.

Sally Robinson, of Anglo-Swedish drug major AstraZeneca, who led the study, said: "appropriate testing with animals is a worldwide regulatory requirement, providing protection to the public and providing doctors with important information on how to administer new medicines. Before new medicines are administered to humans, their safety is evaluated by screening for potentially harmful effects." Dr Robinson added that animals "currently provide the best prediction of what might happen in people."