Stop Testing Life: Urge the FDA to change its policy on animal testing.
- by: Adahli Penaloza
- recipient: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Companies continue to test on animals because the FDA requires it. But this is only because of a policy, not because with testing we can prove that the information gathered from animal testing is accurate or that it will show that the product is safe. In fact, animal-modeled data works against human health. Sometimes, drugs are approved too quickly based on the positive results that occur on the animals that further human-based testing isn't done and the patients who are take the drug become ill or die as a result.
So, why does use of the animal testing continue in drug development and approval?
1. Animal testing allows pharmaceutical companies to rush drugs through the approval process, while reducing the expensive development process and speeding up their paycheck. Having a controlled lab of animals is ideal for drug companies in terms of getting the product tested and passed as soon as possible. Even though the drugs produced may work on the animals, it does ensure that it will work on a completely different species.
2. Second, animal testing gives pharmaceutical companies liability protection. If a drug harms a human, company representatives can testify that it tested safe on animals. Juries usually do not understand high-tech tests that are based on humans, but they do understand if something kills a rat, it may be harmful for humans, or if a rat thrives, a human may do too.
3. The third reason animal testing continues has to do with a growing ties between pharmaceutical companies and the FDA. Pharmaceutical companies are big campaign finance contributors having given $44 million over the last ten years. They FDA is tied to the industry that they are supposed to be policing. This means that the FDA is financed and staffed by the pharmaceutical industry. The agency "works for" the industry, not for consumers, because consumers are not making campaign contributions or securing their jobs.
The reliance on animal testing has contributed to the corruption and tragedy in the pharmaceutical industry. By stopping animal testing fewer people will die from unreliable medicine, and researchers will be challenged to develop more effective and safe means of testing. Pharmaceutical companies and government officials will have to rely on human-based methods and will hopefully expand testing to assure consumer health. Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world would do this, it would change the earth.
Dear Sir/Madam
We believe that the United States Food and Drug Administration should replace their requirement on animal testing on new home products, medicine, new cosmetics, etc. with with humane, non-animal alternative methods.
We hope that you are aware that the information garnered from animal-based testing is not accurate or predictive. And that the information gathered from animal-based testing does not protect consumers. In fact, data from animal models often causes more harm than good. Animal tests and human results are compatible 5-25% of the time. In comparison human cell toxicology tests have an accuracy rate of 80-85%, three times more accurate than using animals. With the requirement of animal animal testing, drugs are approved too quickly on positive results in animals causing human patients who take them to fall ill as a result. We cannot allow this dangerous practice to continue, at the expense of animals and humans.
In order to protect the health and safety of American consumers, and to promote the humane treatment of animals in society, it is critical that non-animal alternative tests are to be used instead of animal tests to research and approve drugs. Human clinical and epidemiological studies, human tissue and cell-based research methods, and computational models are just a sampling of the other options for testing drugs that are out there. If we can have more reliable, more precise, less expensive, and more humane ways of gathering data, then why don't we use them?
We believe that animals shouldn't suffer and die to test products or their ingredients. All products should be cruelty-free, and we support an end to animal testing done on home products, medicine, new cosmetics, etc. Therefore, we urge the FDA to change its policy on animal testing and develop more effective and safe means of testing.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
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