Medical Research Techniques

Lord Turnberg Excerpts

Monday 18th March 2024 Lords Chamber

[Viscount Camrose (Con)]

DSIT continues to be led on its approach to creating non-animal methods in clinical trials, toxicology trials and so on by the UK’s NC3Rs—the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research—for toxicology and other scientific research, and that continues. There was a decrease of 10% in animal testing from the previous year, according to our most recent records, and that will continue. DSIT meanwhile has no plans to add a new oversight executive body to those already in existence.

[Lord Turnberg (Lab)]

My Lords, I express an interest as a past chairman of NC3Rs. During the time I was chairman, we saw a marked reduction in the number of animals used in research, and that continues with certain types of animals, such as dogs, cats and so on. It is essential, though, for new drugs to be tested on animals and regulatory authorities rely on that. Is there anything we can do to help those authorities relax a little?

[Viscount Camrose (Con)]

First, let me pay tribute to the work of the NC3Rs, which is an extremely important body. Nobody feels comfortable doing a lot of animal tests; they simply are necessary for human safety in too many cases. For example, UK REACH follows the last-resort principle where, as far as possible, it is able to waive animal tests for chemicals. That kind of work will further accelerate the work of the NC3Rs.