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.

Related posts:

Can new research methods save money and animals?

Brussels conference puts spotlight on alternatives to animal testing

In online searches, animal testing is the most commonly used term and is used to represent any use of animals by scientists. However animal testing actually refers to the use of animals to test a substance – a drug, cream or chemical – that will be released into the environment. The substance is tested to see if it works, how it distributes in the body and whether it is toxic. Fewer than 20 per cent of lab animals are used for this purpose and it is a legal obligation demanded by various authorities before performing human testing (clinical trials).

‘Testing’ is done by the chemical industry, the pharmaceutical industry and academics. I was surprised to learn that the pharmaceutical industry is keen to stop animal testing and is actively looking for reliable replacements that will not compromise patient safety.

Animal experimentation is a general term to describe both testing and research and has a negative connotation. The term vivisection, is also negative and mainly used in the UK. It is associated to any type of animal-related testing and research. However vivisection actually refers to the dissection of living animals; the definition includes human surgery. In previous times this was done without anesthesia.

While the proportion of animals used for testing is declining, the proportion of animals used in ‘research’ is growing.

Animal research is carried out by the biomedical community – the pharmaceutical industry and academia. In terms of research, scientists are not obliged to do studies with animals, they use animals as models to better understand diseases and find ways to influence the cause of them. Essentially they look for an animal that has a disease similar to man, either naturally occurring or one that they can recreate through genetic modification. This is not testing, where an animal is exposed to compounds, this is research and accounts for 60 – 80% of the animals are used.

We regularly hear about medical advancement for diseases like cancer, which are reported in the press –“research with mice has uncovered a cure for x disease”. Yet do we, the general public, consciously make this connection between medical breakthroughs and the use of animals?

Some argue that it doesn’t matter what you call it, as animals are still suffering for the protection of man. However I think it’s important that we understand the terminology and use it properly to ensure we know what we fighting for, or against, and how this might impact our own lives.

Also read:

Finding the right balance between animal welfare & human welfare

What’s driving the increase in animal research?

Basic or fundamental research helps advance scientific knowledge about how animals and humans behave, develop and function biologically. In the EU, basic research accounts for approximately 33% of all animals used for research purposes and tends to be publicly funded with some private funding from industry and medical research charities.

Targeted or applied research helps scientific understanding of diseases leading to and including the development of new vaccines and medicines. This type of research is both publicly and privately funded and may also use findings obtained from basic research. Targeted research is the second largest area where animals are used. In the EU this accounts for approximately 31% of animals used for research purposes.

8% of animals are used in toxicological or other product safety evaluation, which are performed to test potential harm to animals, humans or the environment. Such research is required by European legislation and international guidelines. Of these, just over half of the animals are used for evaluating human (incl. dentistry) and veterinary medicines. The remainder are used to obtain quality and safety data from household and industrial chemicals, herbicides, fertilizers, and food additives. Quality and safety tests are usually funded by private organizations.

The remaining 28% of animals are used for the purposes of production and quality control, diagnosis of diseases, education and training or other purposes.

Read also:

And also: What is animal testing exactly?

And also: What are the key issues?