US: Animal testing no longer necessary for drug research

Recently, new drugs in the United States no longer have to be tested on animals in order to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For Europe, the competent medicines authority EMA does not yet see time for such a step.

The EMA told the German press agency in Amsterdam that animal testing cannot be completely abolished just yet. New alternative methods that can be used instead should be tested to ensure they are reliable. Last year, the EMA set up a working group to speed up this process.

The United States recently removed the requirement that all drugs be tested on animals before being tested on humans. US President Joe Biden signed a corresponding law in December, which does not prohibit animal testing in drug development, but also no longer makes it mandatory.

Instead, resources such as human mini-organs (organoids), multi-organ chips, or computer-based processes may be used in the future. Animal protection organizations welcomed the law.

On average, more than 90 percent of drug candidates that successfully pass all animal tests would later be screened in human clinical trials, according to a reaction from the doctors’ association against animal testing. The reason is often a lack of effect or significant side effects. Certain animal-free methods have already proven to be more accurate and reliable than animal testing.

(sda/dpa)