Inveresk Exposed
Animal Defenders International (ADI) has launched a new
report on the use of animals in research at Inveresk contract testing laboratory in Scotland.
Please find below our press release on the report.
Documents and photographs leaked to ADI provide a chilling
insight into the world of contract research, where laboratories are paid to
conduct animal experiments on behalf of manufacturers of products such as drugs,
chemicals, household and industrial substances.
Inveresk laboratories, near Edinburgh, offers its clients
dogs, monkeys, rats, mice, rabbits, pigs, guinea pigs, goats, cows, birds, and
fish for experimentation and claims to be responsible for approximately 1% of
all experiments taking place in the UK – over 25,000 animals every year.
Experiments like this are rarely published so this is
a unique insight into the world of commercial animal experimentation.
The Inveresk reports show:
Miscalculations in dosing resulting in severe suffering,
death and premature termination of studies.
Researchers running out of the test substance, half way
through a study.
A test substance passing its expiry date before the end
of the experiment, whilst dosing of the animals continued.
Animal tests being conducted when human studies were
already underway.
Animal results ignored – human studies continued
after bad animal results.
Chemicals accidentally pumped into dogs’ lungs instead
of their stomachs.
Horrific suffering is revealed
Side effects listed in Inveresk's own reports included:
dogs foaming at the mouth; vomiting; bleeding from the gums; with diarrhoea;
rats choking to death on paint; monkeys subdued, hunched in their cages; suffering
body tremors; liquid faeces and swollen penises.
The ADI report discusses: the conduct of experiments,
the suffering of the animals, the alternatives which are already available (or
could be made so). ADI has highlighted mistakes, inadequacies of scientific
protocols, and contradictions in Inveresk’s own reports of their
experiments. ADI also discuss the protection afforded to laboratory animals
under the Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Used in Scientific
Procedures (COP), issued by the UK government’s Home Office under the authority
of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
ADI Chief Executive Jan Creamer said: “This reveals
the true horror of regulatory testing on animals, and insight into the enormous
level of suffering and carnage that will be brought about by the animal testing
programme proposed in the EU’s new chemical regulations.
Inveresk is the type of laboratory
that will be undertaking the new EU chemical testing programme. REACH (Registration,
Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) is the new EU chemicals testing strategy:
around 30,000 chemicals produced in high volumes will be tested on millions
of animals.
"UK and EU regulations require that animals should
only be used when necessary; that non-animal methods be sought. And yet we see at Inveresk, experiments on animals when human clinical trials are being
undertaken, blunders during experimental procedures which cause animals severe
suffering, animals being choked to death with paint for unnecessary tests. All
of this is unnecessary. ADI has proposed a new non-animal testing strategy for
the new chemical regulations that uses advanced techniques which will deliver
the protection for humans and the environment that we all want to see, but without
wasting animals’ lives in cruel and unnecessary tests."
Please contact ADI if you would like more information.
Animal Defenders International, 261 Goldhawk
Road, LONDON W12 9PE.