A big win came for animals as Congress officially ended the requirement that all new drugs must be tested in two species, which were usually mice and “high order mammals such as rabbits or primates, prior to being approved to be used by humans.
The law called FDA Modernization Act 2.0, marks a big win for animals and animal activists in a battle that has been going on for decades. However, the change will not see immediate results as it can take time to come into full effect.
“There’s kind of a moment right now where the technology has developed enough and the awareness has also developed enough to make this possible,” Benjamin Freedman, a bioengineer at the University of Washington School of Medicine said, according to USA Today.
“The failure of the current system that relies on the use of animals for the first round of testing is an open secret,” Kathy Guillermo, senior vice president of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals added.
Rachael Anatol, senior vice president of science and regulatory affairs for the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) adds that the Food and Drug Administration isn’t going to allow drug makers to suddenly stop using animals in drug development, but instead the companies will have to show the FDA that they’re not sacrificing safety or effectiveness by replacing animal testing.
“Getting the agencies comfortable and secure in this is going to be one bottleneck,” Anatol said.
