Use of laboratory animals for research – The situation today

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As a pharmaceutical group, one of sanofi-aventis' missions is to contribute to the progress of medicine through the discovery of new drugs. It is necessary to use laboratory animals in research for the development of these new compounds, which bring hope to thousands of patients.

 

Animal research is a sensitive ethical issue demanding the utmost consideration and respect. Given the very nature of the pharmaceutical business, sanofi-aventis is obliged to conduct animal experiments for legal, scientific and ethical reasons. In addition to the widely used experimental in vitro models, in vivo studies aim to collect as much information as possible about the therapeutic or toxic effects of a new drug in a higher species before administration to man.

In addition to studies within the R&D framework, sanofi pasteur also carries out animal studies to assure the efficacy and quality of its vaccines in production before market release, in compliance with specific vaccine regulations.

Stricts Regulations

Animal experiments are subject to strict regulations to which sanofi-aventis complies both nationally and internationally:

• country or region animal welfare laws (e.g., European Directive 1986/609/EC; Animal Welfare Act in the US; European Convention ETS/123);
• rules (standards) developed by:
  • Institute for Laboratory Animal Research (ILAR);
  • Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW);
  • FELASA (Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations).

Sanofi-aventis continued its efforts to respect and protect laboratory animals by implementing “The sanofi-aventis charter on the humane care and use of laboratory animals”, which are internal standards aimed to go beyond the regulations.