Scientists

1. Good Science Digest

2. Jun 25, 2025

Infectious disease research is the most common use of nonhuman primates at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Animal experiments, including those involving monkeys, often fail to accurately reflect human biology and disease, and they are poor predictors of how drugs will perform in terms of efficacy, safety, and toxicity in humans. In response, experts from the Physicians Committee submitted a public comment urging the advisory council of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to phase out the use of monkeys and promote a transition to human-based methods in infectious disease research.