Unnecessary animal tests are replaced by alternative testing methods at Danish pharmaceutical company
Novo Nordisk recently announced the end of using living animals to test the quality of batches of medicines produced by the company.
It has taken ten years for a dedicated company task force to get rid of all redundant product control tests in living animals or to replace them with other methods of testing. Working in close collaboration with regulatory authorities around the world, the task force has replaced all obsolete tests at Novo Nordisk using live animals. The alternative testing method, the use of animal cells rather than living animals, had first to prove its efficacy before being approved by regulators.
Novo Nordisk have been phasing out the use of live animal tests over several years, with the final test performed at the end of November 2011.
Animal testing is not to be confused with animal research. This will continue at the pharmaceutical. The company said these are “essential for all pharmaceutical companies in the processes of discovery and development of new pharmaceuticals” with authorities demanding drug candidates are tested in living animals before they can be tested in humans.
Watch the video to find out more about the phasing out of animal testing, Novo Nordisk ending the use of living animals to test the quality of batches of medicines.
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