Colleagues of an MEP, who expressed doubts about the need for animal research in Covid-19 vaccine testing, have urged her to take up an EARA invitation to meet with researchers.
During a virtual meeting of MEPs, last week, to discuss animal welfare issues, Tilly Metz, was critical of the need for animal research testing for drug development and pointed to the low rate of translation of research into new treatments.
EARA executive director, Kirk Leech, raised the point that there had been no mention at the meeting of the success of Covid-19 vaccines, which were tested in both mice and monkeys.
This point by Kirk had also been made, in a debate (in English), with Tilly Metz, on the merits of animal research conducted in the pages of the French publication, Le Drenche, published last week.
In the Zoom chatroom, Tilly Metz asked Kirk to provide evidence that the testing that was carried out with monkeys was indeed essential, and suggested that there might be quicker or more efficient non-animal methods which were overlooked due to ‘tradition’.
Kirk repeated his previous invitation to introduce Ms Metz to researchers working with monkeys to debate with them directly and this was voiced by the chair of the meeting, Rennike Hameleers, who encouraged her to take up the opportunity.