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Hypocrisy on animal tests

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Published Date: 07 November 2008
Dr Simon Festing (Letters, 5 November) accuses David Martin, MEP, of regurgitating misleading propaganda, while doing precisely that himself.
Dr Festing claims that experiments on monkeys have led to treatments for conditions such as stroke and Parkinson's disease, but this is not true. In fact, scientists acknowledge that one of the main reasons for our lack of effective stroke treatments is that tests in animals, particularly monkeys, have been so misleading.

Everything we know about Parkinson's disease has been learned from human patients, not monkeys. It is by studying humans and their tissues that we will find the answers to these terrible diseases.

Mr Martin calls for modern, effective research, but Dr Festing, who is paid to defend animal research, hypocritically accuses him of blocking progress.

(DR) MARGARET CLOTWORTHY
Safer Medicines Trust
PO Box 62720, London



Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 06 November 2008 10:27 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
 
1

Martinh,

07/11/2008 09:13:02
The bread and butter of medically orientated research starts with tissue culture (aka cell culture)but even this basic work generally requires the use of animal products to proceed. Most cell cultures won't grow without the addition of foetal calf serum, yes that's right, that's serum derived from exsanguinated unborn calves. Not nice but essential, because FCS contains essential growth factors, hormones and other complex products only present in blood that keeps the cells alive.

If a model system, eg response to a anti cancer drug can be demonstrated in vitro (cell culture)then the next step will be to move to genetically identical animal systems, usually mice. This is where if the model system proves robust, then painstaking efforts are taken to investigate toxicity and effective dosing etc. If all this again proves effective, and drug development moves to a final pre-clinical stage, then higher mammals may be used where the physiology is nearly identical to our own. These decisions cannot be taken lightly and are rigourously policed via the home office licensing regulations, and any researcher discovered abusing the termsof his/her license would be breaking criminal law.

Anti cancer drugs can also in the final stages of pre marketing be tested on human volunteer patients who may be given the drug or a placebo and the results carefully scrutinised. only if these latter stages are seen to work effectively without unacceptable side effects (ie is the cure worse than the condition?)will the drug companies take on the process of mass manufacture.

I understand the emotion behind animal testing, but bear in mind that the described process in the development of drugs takes at least 20 years (if all goes well) and if research in the final preclinical stages is stopped, then novel drugs into specific conditions may never see the light of day. I agree that it is an ethical issue, but I support the continued use of animals in research-at the moment there is no alter
2

Ewan Oosami,

09/11/2008 09:16:38
All testing on animals should be stopped. Use criminals instead, more accurate results and they can put something back into the society they try to damage
3

Adrian Appley,

Bromley, Kent 09/11/2008 14:27:57
I have challenged Dr. Festing in the past about the invalidity of animal testing and found it a complete waste of time. The fact is that animals do not get the same diseases that we get, including Parkinson's disease, so how could they possibly be ideal models for drug testing ? Ten thousand people a year are killed from adverse drug reactions and the same number hospitalised. Doesn't that tell us something ? The Northwick Park drug trial that went horribly wrong and ruined the lives of six previously healthy volunteers featured an experimental drug at one five hundredth of the strength to the preparation given to primates on which it had no adverse effect at all.
What more proof does Dr. Festing and his equally blinkered colleagues need to be convinced animals should never be used to test human drugs ?
4

foodsforlife.org,

London 10/11/2008 08:43:35
Just standing back a little from the argument.....

With all the billions of Dollars spent on research without a cure for cancer is it not logically likely that

1) The basic methodology of using animal hosts is flawed.

or

2) The symptom obscessed seek and destroy philosophy of scientists rather than working in synergy with the body to cure the cause is flawed.

or both.

Most of the people I know who have survived cancer have undergone extensive complementary medicine refimes and massive dietary change.

The people I know who have ONLY relied on orthodox medicine tested on animals have died within 5 years.

 

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