Science should be both ethical and effective. The good news is we can have it both ways!
Recently, the FDA Modernization Act of 2021 (H.R. 2565) was introduced to Congress. This bill aims to “amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to allow manufacturers and sponsors of a drug to use alternative testing methods to animal testing to investigate the safety and effectiveness of a drug, and for other purposes.” [1]
Currently, testing on animals is required before new drugs can be used by humans. We have the 1938 Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Act to thank for that.
This animal testing requirement is, of course, a problem for the animals who endure invasive, painful, unnatural experiments that often lead to their untimely deaths. But the requirement is also a problem for humans who deserve better medicine and faster cures that are being hindered by old-fashioned laws and outdated animal-based science.
These days, high-tech alternatives to animal testing are proving to be better predictors of whether new drugs will be effective and safe in people. It’s due time the scientific community leaves behind outdated, inefficient, expensive, cruel experiments on animals in favor of more efficient, human-relevant methods instead.
The passing of the FDA Modernization Act of 2021 would lift the existing requirement for animal testing on new drugs.
The bill, if passed into law, will save countless animals from cruel, unnecessary experiments while enabling scientists to utilize more modern, effective, and humane research methods. It’ll be a win for animals and a win for science that benefits all of humankind.
Update December 28, 2022:
Great news—the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 was passed by Congress!