A wave of support is rolling in for the recent policy shifts initiated by the Trump administration aimed at reducing animal testing within both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These announcements signal a significant move towards more modern, humane research practices.
The FDA recently declared it will gradually phase out the requirement to test antibody therapies and other drugs on animals. Instead, researchers will be encouraged to utilize methods that mimic human organs, leveraging advancements in technology for drug evaluation. “For too long, drug manufacturers have conducted additional animal testing of drugs with substantial data from broad human use internationally,” stated FDA Commissioner Martin A. Makary. “This initiative marks a paradigm shift…holding promise to accelerate cures and meaningful treatments for Americans while reducing animal use. By leveraging AI-based computational modeling, human organ model-based lab testing, and real-world human data, we can get safer treatments to patients faster and more reliably, while also reducing R&D costs and drug prices. It is a win-win for public health and ethics.”
Animal welfare organizations have lauded the FDA’s decision. Kathy Guillermo, senior vice president at PETA, stated: “PETA applauds the FDA’s decision to stop harming animals and adopt human-relevant testing strategies for evaluating antibody therapies.” The organization further emphasized a need for broader change, calling for an end to all animal use in research, including studies involving monkeys at federally funded primate centers.
Similarly, the EPA has reinstated a 2019 policy from the first Trump administration to curtail animal testing. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is committed to fulfilling earlier goals of reducing mammal testing by 30% by 2025 and eliminating it completely by 2035. Molly Vaseliou, an EPA spokesperson, confirmed this commitment: “Administrator Zeldin is wholly committed to getting the agency back on track to eliminating animal testing.”
The shift has garnered praise from various groups:
- PETA highlighted the importance of continued progress in ending all forms of animal experimentation.
- White Coat Waste Project applauded the renewed efforts and pointed to past successes during the first Trump administration in cutting wasteful testing, some of which had been reversed by subsequent policies. Justin Goodman, senior vice president at White Coat, remarked, “This is great news for taxpayers and pet owners…Stop the money. Stop the madness!”
- Humane World for Animals welcomed the EPA’s recommitment but stressed that “promises alone don’t spare lives.” They advocate for a complete shift away from cruel testing methods.
While these changes are viewed positively by many, some within the biomedical research community caution against rapid displacement of animal testing.
Matthew R. Bailey, president of the National Association for Biomedical Research, noted: “We all want better and faster ways to bring lifesaving treatments to patients…But no AI model or simulation has yet demonstrated the ability to fully replicate all the unknowns about many full biological systems. That’s why humane animal research remains indispensable.”
Beyond these recent policy changes, the Trump administration previously took steps to protect animals through legislation such as the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act of 2019, which made intentional acts of cruelty a federal crime.
