Position Papers / European Policy
CF Position Paper to
European Parliament, Environment Cttee Dear MEP, When using animals for biomedical research its intention is to develop knowledge that will result in new and improved treatments for diseases that are currently incurable or intractable. The use of animals is a necessary step in the development of safe and effective medicines, and without this research potentially avoidable ill health would continue to blight lives, cause chronic disease and premature death. No one, least of all the patients who need to benefit from new treatments, want animal research to continue for longer than is absolutely necessary nor do they want animals to be used for research that is methodologically poor or which will cause disproportionate suffering to the animals used. Attention to the welfare of research animals is also essential – both as an aim in itself and also for pragmatic reasons – because animals in poor condition do not produce good results quickly. If no animal research was undertaken, the development of safe, effective medicines would be much more difficult. It would also be very risky, as the step from cells and computer models to complete biological systems (i.e. humans) is a vast one. No one wants to take medicines themselves, or give them to their children, if they have not been tested thoroughly for their safety and effectiveness. The consequences of the Thalidomide tragedy 40 years ago are still vividly remembered, and it is in large part due to the systematic use of animals in properly regulated research and clinical trials that this has not been repeated. Whether the animal used is a zebra fish or a non-human primate, care must be taken to ensure that the research is necessary, of high quality and that no other method of obtaining the results is possible. Non-human primate research is currently essential in some cases – especially in relation to vaccine development as in aids, hepatitis, malaria, TB, and in relation to basic research and innovative medicines as in cancer and Alzheimer disease - where the closeness of the primate to the human will speed progress to a cure. Similarly, transgenic (genetically modified) animals provide essential insight not obtainable in other ways. Without this research progress will be slower, the results less evident and families hoping for relief for the consequences of serious disease will continue to suffer - potentially avoidable - health consequences. Therefore we would urge you to adopt amendments 31 & 36 (Nistico, Trakatellis) to paragraphs 2 & 5 of the Evans report when you vote on this on November 4/5. 28 October 2002 |