The findings from a long-awaited NC3Rs study have shown that using two animal species to test human drugs can be significantly reduced....

We welcome the announcement which supports our ground-breaking research demonstrating that using a second animal species in toxicity tests gives no additional insight into whether a new medicine is safe for humans, but call for greater measures to help end cruel and unreliable drugs tests.

In 2016 the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement, and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) , announced a project with industry to look at use of dogs and monkeys in drug testing. The organisation collected data from 172 drugs from 18 pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to determine whether data from just one animal species could be used to report on drug safety instead of the two species typically used.

The study reveals several examples when using two species may not have gained more toxicological insight than using only one species. From the tests analysed, 66% were found, in hindsight, to have been able to produce the same results with just one animal species.

The report also highlights a lack of data-sharing between companies leading to more animal tests. We call on the UK Government to take a lead in finding ways to make data-sharing happen. Thousands of dogs and monkeys suffer in UK laboratories every year to test new medicines and drug safety, despite research showing 86% of the UK public disagree with using dogs and monkeys in tests. In 2018 we delivered 80,000 voices calling for an end to UK dog tests to Downing Street.

Since 2013, our analysis of the use of animals in drug safety testing has produced three papers calling into question the scientific value of using animals to test the safety of new drugs for humans. The papers by FRAME Life President Professor Michael Balls, our Senior Research Scientist Dr Jarrod Bailey, and CEO Michelle Thew, published in scientific journal ATLA are the most comprehensive analyses to date of the value of animals for predicting drug safety in humans.

Dr Katy Taylor, our Director of Science & Regulatory Affairs, said: “We’ve been calling on the pharmaceutical industry to demonstrate why they need to use two species in drug testing. This study shows that in many cases they do not. We will now be asking the regulatory bodies for medicines in the UK, EU and USA and internationally to take note of this report and to act. It is abhorrent that animals should suffer in studies that drug companies now know are not needed.”

Currently 90% of drugs fail in clinical trials on humans, despite data from previous animal tests suggesting these medicines were safe and effective.