New Publication Pushes for Quicker Uptake of Nonanimal Tests in Pharmaceutical Development

Study in a Sentence: Drug development stakeholders representing drug and technology companies, academia, and public health groups are recommending changes to more quickly transition from animal testing to more predictive nonclinical approaches that do not harm animals.

Healthy for Humans: New drugs undergo extensive nonclinical animal tests prior to testing a drug in humans in clinical trials. Despite testing drugs in multiple species, including dogs, rats, and primates, approximately 96 percent of new drugs fail in humans for reasons that predominately include safety and efficacy.

Redefining Research: Modern, human-based approaches, such as tissue chips and organoids, have the potential to revolutionize nonclinical drug testing by allowing scientists to study how a drug interacts with human cells, tissues and biological and physiological processes. This publication recommends regulatory, policy, scientific, training, and educational changes, such as updating FDA regulations that require animal testing, that must be addressed to increase human-based tests to save human and animal lives.