We have submitted to the Commission's impact assessment of the review of EU pharmaceuticals laws, calling for action on animal testing and adoption of human-relevant test methods to improve the efficiency and efficacy of medicines development.

As part of the EU pharmaceuticals strategy, and drawing lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commission is reviewing EU legislation on medicines for human use to make it future-proof and crisis-resistant. The evaluation aims to ensure access to affordable medicines, cut red tape and foster innovation for new scientific and technological developments.

To achieve the goal of safe and affordable medicines and to support the European pharmaceutical industry to innovate and make the most of existing alternatives to animal tests which consistently fail to deliver human health breakthroughs, we are recommending that the EU:

• Places humane and human-relevant preclinical assessment at the heart of its strategy.
• Moves away from the current outdated and unreliable animal testing paradigm.
• Prioritises investment in modern and human-relevant methods.
• Sets targets to phase out animal testing.

Dr Katy Taylor, CEO and Director of Science at Cruelty Free Europe, says: “The impact assessment highlights the importance of promoting innovation and adapting legislation to accommodate use of new technologies, yet sadly fails to acknowledge the continued reliance on animal experiments as a contributor to high costs and inefficiency. Under Article 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, full regard should be paid to animal welfare when forming and implementing policies, yet despite our requests in previous consultations, this has once again not been considered.

“Currently 90% of drugs fail in clinical trials on humans despite having passed pre-clinical studies, including extensive tests in animals. The pharmaceutical sector will continue to struggle to respond to long-term and emerging health issues unless it is enabled by a modernised regulatory framework to invest in and use more efficient and human-relevant methods to predict the safety and efficacy of new medicines.”

According to an opinion poll conducted  by Sanvanta ComRes for Cruelty Free Europe in 2020 across 12 member states, the majority of EU citizens think it is time for animal testing to end. Almost three quarters (72%) agreed that Europe should set targets and deadlines to phase out animal testing, while 66% supported an immediate end to all animal tests.