Fifteen government agencies unveiled a five year plan yesterday “to reduce, refine and replace the use of animals in research and regulatory testing,” according to Environment News Service.
Animals have been routinely used to test chemicals, consumer products, medical devices and new drugs for toxicity on humans, but new technological advances offer researchers the option of utilizing alternative test methods “that either reduce the number of animals used in testing, or refine procedures so animals experience less pain and distress, or replace animals with non-animal systems,” as ENS reports.
