Dr Hadwen Trust: New report: Replacing primates in medical research
Scientists from the Dr Hadwen Trust for Humane Research, Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments and the St Andrew Animal Fund (member organisations of Focus on Alternatives), have published a key new report called Replacing Primates in Medical Research which fills important scientific, technical and science policy gaps in the controversial area of primate research.
Stakeholders on all sides of the debate are agreed that if it is technically possible, an end to the use of non-human primates in laboratory experiments is ethically desirable. Driven by upcoming legislative review (Directive 86/609/EEC), the European Union is already engaged in discussion about when it will be scientifically possible to phase out primate research. Last year Members of the European Parliament overwhelmingly voted in support of a Written Declaration calling for the phase-out of all primate research, and the Commission’s Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER) is actively considering the issue as part of its stakeholder consultation. Other countries around the world are also revisiting the issue.
It is often argued that primates are essential for medical progress. However, objective review of medical research into important human conditions – malaria, cognition, stroke, AIDS and hepatitis C – which have used significant numbers of primates, reveals that there has in fact been very limited success in translating results to human benefits. We believe that large-scale independent and systematic review of primate research is urgently needed.
The case studies explored in our report illustrate where notable progress has already been made in replacing primate experiments with non-animal techniques; and where greater progress is achievable using advanced non-animal alternatives such as cell and molecular methods, computer simulations and ethical studies with human volunteers. We are calling on scientists, research funders, patient groups, animal protection organisations, industry and policy makers, to help bring about strategic change to replace primates in medical research.
The issue of primate research, indeed animal research generally, is set to dominate the political agenda in Brussels as the revision of Directive 86/609/EEC gets under way. The legislation is in need of substantial change and the surrounding debate is likely to be intense. The Dr Hadwen Trust’s science and policy team will be right at the heart of the process.
-01.png){kind=spacer}