European Parliament backs compromise on animal testing

The European Parliament has endorsed, with an overwhelming 544 votes in favor to 66 against and 36 abstentions, a report into the future of  animal testing in the European Union. The UK-based BioIndustry  Association told the Marketletter it "welcomes" the consensus, given  that it represents a compromize from an earlier document proposed by the  European Commission in November 2008. However, the European Federation  of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations took a more guarded  position "acknowledging" the EP's position and what it termed "a step in  the right direction." The scale of the vote in favor was interpreted as  a strong signal for the next intake of the Parliament not to revisit  this issue after elections to be held in June and a subsequent reshuffle  of the Commission's portfolios.

Brian Ager, the EFPIA's director general, said: "industry cautiously  welcomes this decision. However, there are several provisions that may  potentially hinder the development of new and innovative treatments  that society wishes to see, addressing unmet conditions such as cancers,  Parkinson's, Alzheimers' and infectious diseases."

The review of the Animal Welfare Directive was produced by the  Parliament's Agriculture Committee and drafted by its Chairman, Neil  Parish (Conservative, South West England). The document is designed to  improve animal welfare and provide harmonized standards of regulation  across the EU's 27 member states. The EFPIA noted that the report places  the emphasis on scientific justification and ethical review as the basis  for decision-making on animal studies. The group said "it goes some way  towards a balance between the protection of animals, the reality of  biomedical research and the needs of patients."