Animals in Veterinary Medicines Research
Introduction
Without modern medicines, millions of people and animals would
not be alive today. The discovery and development of those medicines could not have been
achieved without research and testing, some of which, by necessity, must involve animals.
As old diseases are conquered and new ones emerge, today's research will benefit future
generations.
Animals need medicines
Every pet owner and farmer knows that animals can be affected by
a number of diseases which require treatment. If treatment is withheld or is not
effective, suffering or death can result. That is why it is essential that a veterinarian
is consulted early on to ensure accurate diagnosis and prompt treatment.
Just like the medicines used by the medical profession, animal
medicines may be administered to treat or cure diseases, to prevent infection, to help the
body function better or to control parasites.
Prevention of the more serious diseases may be more than just good
animal care. It may be the only alternative to much animal suffering and death where cures
are not yet available. Preventative medicine is as vital for animals as it is for people.
And while human medicines are developed for one species - man - animal
medicines must be available to prevent or cure illnesses in all the different species of
pet and farm animals.
Diseases in animals and people
Some diseases are potentially fatal for both people and animals,
and can, in fact, be transmitted between animals and people. Diseases such as tetanus,
salmonella and rabies are examples of these. Research into developing life saving vaccines
or treatments for animal species can bring direct benefits to man.
Even in the case of many non-fatal diseases similar medical problems
affect animals and people and can be treated with similar remedies which, by necessity,
will have been developed using animals.
People need safe food
Our society is placing greater emphasis on providing food of the
highest quality. In the case of meat, dairy products and eggs, the highest quality of food
is obtained from healthy animals.
To maintain good health, animals, like humans, occasionally require
treatment with medication at one time or another in their lifetime. Some testing is
required to ensure the safety of food produced from treated animals.
With the growth of world population it has been predicted that, in the
next 30 years, we will need to produce as much food to feed the world as has been consumed
in the past 10,000 years.
The need for animals in research
Medicines have to be as safe as possible: for animals, for those
administering the medicine, for the environment and for consumers of animal produce. They
have to be of high quality and have to work. This means they have to be tested - this is
not just common sense, but a legal requirement.
Today's researchers use non-animal methods wherever possible, by using
techniques such as computer simulation or conducting tests in cells grown in test tubes.
Cell cultures, for example, can help assess whether a chemical or product is likely to be
safe or useful; they are also used to make many vaccines.
However, animals may be required at various stages; in finding out what
goes wrong in disease, in developing new treatments and in looking at the action of a
product in its final stages of development in a real situation. For example, the best way
to ensure that a new pig medicine will work safely and effectively on farms is to carry
out the final stages of research in pigs. In almost all cases products need their final
trials to be done in the animal species for which they are intended.
The involvement of animals in such research is minimised at every step
and work continues actively to find alternative means of evaluation which will reduce
animal testing still further.
Many animal tests are non-invasive and designed simply to monitor
behaviour or assess various forms of nutrition. Such tests are very often designed solely
to develop means of improving the well being of animal species.
Legislation to protect animals: a brief summary
The law allows scientists to use animals in
their research only when the scientist has shown that non-animal methods are not suitable.
Anyone planning to use animals in medical or veterinary research has to
apply for a project licence from the Secretary of State for the Home Office before they
are allowed to start work.
The Home Office licence will require an explanation of why a non-animal
method is not suitable. Strict controls exist: only the smallest number of animals
necessary to meet the objectives of the experiment are used. Each project must be approved
as worthwhile and the methods used to prevent discomfort or suffering of animals during
the procedure must be described in detail in the project licence.
Research must take place in licensed premises and the person doing the
work must also be trained and licensed. It is now necessary for all licensed premises to
have a local ethical review process for experiments to be conducted under the Animals
(Scientific Procedures) Act. This process, involving lay people as well as those directly
involved in the tests, comments on the suitability of the tests, welfare of the animals,
etc.
Home Office Inspectors, who are all qualified vets or medical doctors,
have the right to visit premises unannounced and at any time to check that the animals are
being looked after properly and that the experiment is being carried out as licensed.
Finally, a nominated veterinary surgeon is always close by to look after the interests of
the animals.
The legislation in the UK that controls the use of animals in research
is widely considered to be the most stringent in the world.
Most animals used in medical and veterinary research are specially bred
and the species able to be used are controlled e.g. special justification is required from
the Home Office for cats, dogs and primates.
The future
Scientists are making every effort to develop research methods
which will reduce the need for experiments on animals.
However, a certain amount of animal research will have to continue, for
example in the study of coronary heart disease and cancer, for which more effective
products are desperately needed. It is work with animals which is explaining the
peculiarities of the AIDS virus and will hopefully provide the key to a cure.
Animal health companies still face many challenges to prevent the
suffering of pets and farm animals. To ensure animal medicines work safely and
effectively, the use of animals in medicines research remains essential.
Animal research for animal welfare
Case Studies
- Many diseases in dogs and cats, for example distemper, infectious hepatitis,
leptospirosis, kennel cough, parvovirus infection and feline leukaemia can be controlled
by vaccines. Some of these diseases have reached epidemic proportions in the past.
Only a small number of animals had to be used during research programmes
to safeguard our 6.1 million dog population and 7.5 million cats.
- At home and abroad, animals have died in thousands from anthrax, rabies, tuberculosis,
rinderpest (cattle plague) and Marek's disease. As many as 100 million animals have been
saved by anthrax and cattle plague vaccines alone.
- In the absence of good management and appropriate medication, approximately 10% of
lambs, calves and pigs would unnecessarily die from a variety of diseases within the first
month of life. For example, acute diarrhoea can result in unpleasant death through
dehydration and loss of electrolytes: new treatments save these lives.
- Bacterial infections cause many painful and serious diseases in animals including
pneumonia, skin infections and foot infections.
Parasites both internal
(worms) and external (fleas, ticks, lice and mange) can cause serious and damaging
diseases in all species of animals.
Many of the animals involved in developing antiparasitics and
antibiotics are in fact clinical cases seen by veterinary surgeons.
Useful addresses for further information:
AMRIC (Animals in
Medicines Research Information Centre)
12 Whitehall
London SW1A 2DY
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7588 0841
Fund for the
Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments
Russell & Burch House
96-98 North Sherwood Street
Nottingham NG1 4EE
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)115 958 4740
(Registered Charity No 259464)
RDS
58 Great Marlborough Street
London
W1V 1DD
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7287 2818.
Biomedical Research Education Trust
Suite 501, International House
223 Regent Street
London W1R 8QD
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7287 2595
Email: t.g@bret.org.uk
SIMR
PO Box 504
Dunstable
Bedfordshire
LU5 5WS
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1582 867766
Fax: +44 (0)1582 867777
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