The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to phase out animal testing in drug development.
The agency announced the plans on Thursday, specifying that they plan to replace animal testing in the development of monoclonal antibody therapies and other drugs with "human-relevant methods.”
According to the FDA, this will improve drug safety and accelerate the evaluation process, while reducing animal experimentation, lowering research and development costs, which lowers drug prices.
“For too long, drug manufacturers have performed additional animal testing of drugs that have data in broad human use internationally. This initiative marks a paradigm shift in drug evaluation and holds promise to accelerate cures and meaningful treatments for Americans while reducing animal use,” said FDA Commissioner Martin Makary in a statement.
For too long, drug manufacturers have performed additional animal testing of drugs that have data in broad human use internationally. https://t.co/8qwpci3pVx
— Dr. Martin Makary (@DrMakaryFDA) April 10, 2025
The left-wing organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) praised Trump’s decision.
"PETA applauds the FDA’s decision to stop harming animals and adopt human-relevant testing strategies for evaluating antibody therapies," Kathy Guillermo, PETA senior vice president, said in a statement to Fox News.
"It’s a significant step towards meeting the agency’s commitment to replace the use of animals – which PETA has worked hard to promote. All animal use, including failed vaccine and other testing on monkeys at the federally-funded primate centers, must end, and we are calling on the FDA to further embrace 21st-century science," she continued.
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