Media Release
London, 16 July 2015
Kirk Leech, Executive Director of the European Animal Research Association: “This is good news. Finally some sense has prevailed. This decision ensures the continuation in the UK of important medical research for the development of new medicines and treatments both for human and animal health. Very few dogs are used in research in the UK, 4,643 in 2012, but they have been important in many medical advances, for example the discovery of insulin to treat diabetic patients, the development of pacemakers and blood transfusion procedures.”
“Countless patients in the UK and worldwide have seen their quality of life improved thanks to innovative new medicines. Animal research and testing remains an essential part of the development of all new medicines and vaccines, to determine both the likely efficacy and the safety of a potential medicine. If an artificial limit is placed on the number of animals that can be used in research, it will potentially limit the progress that can be made in the development of therapies for medical conditions where we do not yet have adequate treatments, such as infectious diseases and neurological disorders like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease.”
Link to the UK Government Department for Communities and Local Government decision letter and inspector’s report.