Why animal research?
The future of human and veterinary medicine is bright. Scientific advances are leading to the discovery of newer, better, more targeted medicines that will help treat diseases.
Novartis needs animal research to find innovative, safe and life-saving medicines for patients. Novartis would rather see the end of medical research involving animals. Unfortunately this is not possible today. There are two reasons for that:
- Often, animal studies are needed to better understand complex disease mechanisms.
- Governments and regulatory authorities require that medicines be tested in animals before they are tested in humans.
This is why we must continue with animal research as we look for new medicines for patients.
For more information and a range of views on animal research visit EFPIA'sThe European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations Animal Testing Perspectives website.
Limitations of alternative testing methods
Novartis would rather see the end of animal research if that were possible. Unfortunately, today there is no equivalent substitute for most research involving animals.
We are working to develop alternative research methods to minimize the need for animal testing. These include:
- in a "test tube" (in vitro)
- other modern scientific methods such as computational modeling and non-invasive analytical methods
Despite the advances made so far, it will still be necessary to continue to use animals for the foreseeable future. This is because the body is very complex with all parts being interdependent on one another. As these interdependencies cannot be recreated in a "test tube" (in vitro) or on a computer, often the only way to find out if a new medicine has unforeseen effects is to test it on a living being.
Animals are used in research and testing when it is necessary to see what happens in the whole living body and the use of human subjects would not be ethically acceptable.
Animal research is, however, only a very small part of all medical research carried out at Novartis. Major progress is being made scientifically to reduce, and perhaps someday eliminate, the need for most animal research while still yielding new, innovative medicines for patients.
