A win for animals and science
NIH backs non-animal
The world's largest medical research funder based in the US - The National Institutes of Health (NIH) - has launched a bold new initiative to advance human-based science and reduce animal use.
"Every step away from the harmful use of animals in science, no matter where in the world it happens, is a win for animals, for people, and for progress everywhere" - Miss Tara Jackson , BAR Co-Founder
Thanks to BAR’s Chief Science Advisor in the US, we’ve got the inside scoop on this news from the US which means that we know for sure that it is GOOD news which will only help influence the work we do in Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US has just announced that they will create a new office to coordinate efforts to reduce animal testing across the agency and the research that it funds.
This office will be called: The Office of Research Innovation, Validation, and Application (ORIVA).
Why is this good news?
The NIH is America’s medical research agency - making important discoveries that improve health and save lives. It is also the largest source of funding for medical research in the world!
A juggernaut with this unparalleled level of influence committing to Human-Based Research over Animal Testing is gigantic news for animals and humans!
Especially when this, is also on top of the double-happy news from just a few weeks back, that the US FDA will phase out animal testing requirements for monoclonal antibodies (lab-made proteins that target specific diseases) and other drugs. Plus, the FDA released its strategic roadmap to phase out animal testing in early-stage drug safety studies, clearly outlining a shift to scientifically validated non-animal approaches.
Both announcements are proof that a monumental tide is shifting within the science world. And these aren’t isolated moves. In recent years, the United States has also made several groundbreaking decisions to reduce animal testing and modernise biomedical research:
- In 2022, the FDA modernization Act 2.0 became law, officially allowing scientists to use non-animal methods, known as New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), to meet safety testing requirements for new drugs.
- In January 2024, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched complement-ARIE, a major program to speed up the development, validation, and widespread use of human-based research tools.
Together, these milestones send a clear message: the world is moving toward a future where science is not only more human-relevant, but also more ethical.
The time is now. The time is now for animals!
Where to from here?
Share the good newsOf course, the devil is always in the detail when announcements become action, but you can be rest assured that BAR will be informing political powerbrokers in New Zealand that if the world’s biggest economy can steer itself towards Human-Based Research over Animal Testing to improve health and save lives, both animal and human, then NZ can too!
