A bipartisan coalition of House and Senate lawmakers and outside groups has opened a new push to limit and eventually halt drug testing on animals, working to end a Depression-era federal mandate that foes claim isn’t needed anymore.
Chief sponsor Sen. Rand Paul said Thursday, “I think there’s a reasonable chance that we might find something that we could actually pass through a bipartisan — maybe even a unanimous — bill.”
Dubbed the “FDA Modernization Act to End Animal Testing Mandates,” his bill would end a 1938 mandate that the Food and Drug Administration test new drugs on animals before they are used on humans in clinical trials.
It would not ban animal testing, however, but urge drug firms to use “alternative methods” when they can.
It is an extension of sorts to other moves to cut back or end the use of animals for testing in industries such as cosmetics.
“We as a nation recognize that when you can use an alternative, you should,” said Wayne Pacelle, the head of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, which are key supporters of the Paul legislation. The bill also has the support of senators including New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker and Republican Sens. Mike Braun of Indiana and John Kennedy of Louisiana.
A House version is sponsored by Republican Rep. Vern Buchanan of Florida and Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria of Virginia. Other outside groups supporting the legislation include the Center for a Humane Economy, the Michelson Center for Public Policy, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
At a press conference this morning, Braun noted that some 100 million animals globally are used in tests. “This is a great example of where the whole system needs to be fixed, from transparency and competition. But here, our animal friends are being used in a way where you’re not producing a good result,” he said.
Braun added, “Some things, like Rand said, ought to make it across the line easily because they are just great ideas on their own merit.”
Pacelle, who has spent a lifetime on animal welfare issues and is the former head of the Humane Society of the United States, said that animal tests are notoriously ineffective and just wrong.
“The existing framework is broken. Nineteen of 20 times, when a drug passes muster in animal tests, it fails in human clinical trials. I mean, that is a disastrous rate of failure. Senator Paul’s bill does not ban animal testing. It simply says we should be using the best science. And that is why this is a bipartisan bill. I’m very confident it’s going to pass,” he said.
“To best protect humans, the FDA should make decisions based on reliable non-animal tests that reflect human biology,” said Dr. Amy Clippinger, president of PETA Science Consortium International and a molecular and cellular biologist. “The FDA Modernization Act can clear a path for the use of scientific methods that will swiftly lead to safe and effective vaccines and treatments.”
“This is a core American value to oppose cruelty to animals. It is just a sign of our mercy and decency to care for the least among us in our society,” Pacelle added.
After the press conference, which was at times interrupted by barking dogs, ended, Kennedy said, “Ya’ll talk to [Senate Majority Leader Chuck] Schumer. He needs to bring this bill to the floor.”
