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Alternatives to the use of animals in product testing include the elimination of redundant or needless study requirements, the replacement of animal tests with non-animal methods, and the modification of animal-based tests to both reduce the number of animals used and to

Update: On 19 February 2009, HSI Europe celebrated a major milestone in this campaign following a move by the European Commission and Member States to accept 21st century cell-based methods as full and complete replacements for cruel and outdated skin irritation tests

In contrast to product testing, in which some animal use is required by law, there is no law requiring the use of animals to study basic biology, or the pathology and treatment of human illness. Here, animal experiments are a carry-over from

Although some animal tests in use today were created nearly 80 years ago, most have never been formally validated (i.e., assessed in multiple laboratories to see if they reliably give the correct answers). However, there is a great deal of scientific evidence

In light of today’s global marketplace, a meaningful reduction in animal testing can only occur if different countries are prepared to recognise and accept the results of validated alternative methods. Otherwise, companies will be forced to perform different tests to satisfy different

The great majority of animal use for experimental purposes can best be described as “curiosity-driven” research. Animals who have been purpose-bred, captured from the wild, or purchased from pounds, animal shelters, and animal brokers can be subject to a seemingly limitless variety

A large number of laws and regulations have been enacted worldwide to control the marketing of drugs, vaccines, food additives, pesticides, industrial chemicals, and other substances of potential toxicological concern. Such regulations often prescribe a specific regime of toxicity testing to generate

In the time since the most commonly used toxicity tests were conceived, there has been a revolution in biology and biotechnology. Advances in tissue engineering and robotics have given birth to rapid “high throughput” in vitro (cell culture) systems, while emerging technologies

As public opposition towards animal testing has grown, animal use has been broadly prohibited where alternative methods are “reasonably and practicably available” (e.g., EU Directive 86/609 and legislation in the U.S. states of California [PDF], New Jersey [PDF] and New York [PDF])