Animal Testing

To address the concerns of my opponent, I have never stated that animal testing is 100 percent conclusive. In relation to human trials, animals simply provide the next best model. Physiological differences between humans and animals do create a minor disparity between results; however, animal testing delays human trials in an attempt to make the drug as safe as possible before it is administered to human patients. Once a drug has been determined to be both safe and effective for animals, it is then generally tested on a small group of people before being approved for mass distribution. This human testing is performed in compliance with many laws which ensure to protect the safety of human subjects and require the drug to be tested extensively prior to these trials to ensure its safety. In-vitro testing is one method of determining a drug's reliability but is likewise inconclusive in determining safety of a drug. Animal testing is required for FDA approval of the drug to be tested on human patients. In the case of Vioxx, which was removed from the US market in 2004, animal testing and human testing were likewise performed. The drug which was supposed to act as an anti-inflammatory had cardiovascular side effects in humans which did not appear in animal testing. Vioxx was first tested in animals and showed no evidence of cardiovascular failure. According to the VP of Clinical Research for Merck (the company who tested this drug) non-of the human trials confirmed that the drug prevented blood clotting so the company relied on animal studies in order to claim these results. The company was accused of falsifying data and using unreliable sources in order to get approval by the FDA. Generally, once human trials of the drug begin, these results become the most prominent and are relied upon to determine the drug's ultimate safety. Prior animal testing is performed only to ensure the drug as much as possible before commencing human trials. The Vioxx trials performed on green-monkeys were performed after human clinical trials found an increase in cardiovascular effects for patients taking the drug. It must also be noted, animal trials are more effective for certain types of modeling (ie. antibiotic modeling vs. systems modeling –particularly of the CNS but in this case of the cardiovascular system). Vioxx failed to recognize this in their studies of the cardiovascular system and used animal trials above human trials when relaying their results, an act that was highly controversial and seen by the scientific community as unethical. The study of genetics envelops many types of research. The research of homology and plasticity between genetic material of differing species is used to determine the similarity between species on different traits. One result of this type of experimentation is to determine which animal species are most closely related to humans physiology and genetically dependent on the area of research. (Mice share 99% homology of their genes with humans making them useful in studies of human diseases.) This helps determine which animal would more accurately model a human response. Deliberately produced genetic diseases in animals will have pathologies like those of human diseases and finding cures in animals helps to finding similar cures for humans (Pines, Maya, ed. "Blazing the Genetic Trail." Bethesda, MD: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 1991). In-vitro research can be performed using human DNA just as effectively as by using animal DNA. Recombination practices as well as insertion or deletion practice however, cannot be replicated in humans. These practices are integral for the study of progression of disease and effects on physiology as well as drug effects. In regards to protein homology, protein interaction is integral in many diseases and disorders. Treating these ailments is performed through methods of integration of proteins, mutation of proteins (particularly growth factors), interaction of proteins with antibiotics or other drugs, etc… Genetic studies of animals have led to advances in research on and production of drugs for obesity, heart disease, and diabetes just to name a few. Insulin for diabetes patients is the result of research with dogs, leprosy vaccines is from armadillos, treatments for Huntington's disease and polio first used research performed on primates. Vaccines such as the leukemia vaccine were also developed primarily as the result of animal testing. This research continues because of the numerous safe and effective drugs and vaccines which are developed through animal testing. Currently many new projects are taking place including research for a new TB vaccine (since TB strains are subject to resistance factors). As for cancer, clearly there has not been a "cure all" cancer drug developed from animal research. What has been developed however, are many drugs and methods for treatment of cancer. While in-vitro studies may initially show correlation between drugs and their effects on cancer, these results are not conclusive without clinical trials. Clinical trials must be performed on animals prior to trials on humans to ensure the safety of drugs. Numerous treatments are developed and tested and are never passed to human trials because they do not first pass animal trials. I propose that it is more beneficial to humans to allow these treatments to be tested on animals before they are tested on humans, simply for more evidence of their safety. As shown with Vioxx nothing is ever 100 percent certain after animal trials, but it must be recognized that animal testing provides more evidence towards the safety of these drugs. In conclusion, after analysis of the variant types of animal testing and the results it has produced and continues to produce, I suggest that the practice of performing research on animals should continue. Animal testing has been directly linked to improvements in human medicine through understanding of genetics, development of vaccines and other drugs, and further research into surgical procedures and cures for diseases. I feel that research performed on animals, is justifiable due to these contributions.