In the news
6 Sep 2008
13 November 2007
EU Commissioner urges quicker approval of non-animal tests
Industry and academia need to be more proactive to help the regulatory acceptance of new non-animal test methods, says Janez Potocnik, EU Science and Research Commissioner. The drive for alternative methods, he said, is led by a desire to improve the safety and quality of human lives, but with the minimum harm to animals. The Commissioner made it clear that these ‘state-of-the-art tests’ have his full support as “they are quicker, cheaper and – crucially – involve less suffering” but he lamented that progress is often delayed by bottlenecks caused by insufficient communication between researchers and regulators.
Thirty alternatives methods have so far been validated by the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM), but only eight of them have so far gained regulatory acceptance.
“If the needs of regulators for information are an obstacle,” said the Commissioner, “then we must engage more fully with them to identify and meet those needs. Closer relationships, clearer channels of communications and an ongoing dialogue are required.”
Commissioner Potocnik suggested that improved engagement between regulators, industry and researchers would have the additional benefit of encouraging applied as well as basic studies on the specific needs of the 3Rs (replacement, reduction, refinement) approach. He also pointed to the need for widespread elevation of the status of non-animal research, noting that there are only four professorships in alternative testing in the whole of the EU. Greater recognition of non-animal alternatives as an academic discipline within the research community would help, he said.
He also suggested that industry must make its requirements better known to scientists in universities and research institutions and that all stakeholders must increase the sharing of research data to avoid duplication of tests.
The Commissioner also pledged that the European Commission would do more, providing political momentum while ensuring coordination across the relevant policy areas such as industry, health, consumer protection, environment and research.
The Commissioner underlined the urgency of developing new methods to replace animal tests. “Can we do better?’” he asked. “I hope I speak for all here when I say that we can, and we will.”
Commissioner Janez Potocnik was speaking at a meeting of the European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing on 5 November 2007.
Credit: Cordis News & epaa.eu.com
