- Anything Else -
Animal testing--in some cases-- is very useful
Posted by: Prent Peterson ( USA ) on January 10, 19100 at 12:59:34:
First off, I will agree that not all animal testing is a good thing. However, we can't discount the benifits that have come from the testing. Polio would still be rampant in the world as well as numerous other diseases.
Regarding thalidomide, the tragic history of that drug shows that MORE animal testing should have been done, not less. Unfortunately when thalidomide was under study, teratogenicity was not understood fully, mainly because it is a relatively rare phenomenon. Thus, if prior to its release, thalidomide also had been tested on pregnant animals of sceral speciaes, it is highly certain that its teratogenicity would have been uncovered.
The lesson learned from thalidomide is not that animal tsts are useless but that new drugs must be tested on animals not only for efficacy and safety but also on pregnant animals to detect the possibility of fetal deformation. This is now standard practice in drug research.
Follow Ups:
|