It has been an extraordinary week for progress toward ending federally funded animal experiments! Major federal health agencies are making significant strides toward reducing reliance on animals by modernizing science and embracing innovative, human-based research methods.

FDA Updates Its Regulations to Support Animal-Free Methods

In a major shift, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated its regulatory language to formally advance animal-free science. The FDA is replacing official policy terms such as “animal tests” and “animal studies” with “nonclinical tests” and “nonclinical studies.” The updated regulations also remove language that imply animal testing is the only acceptable way to generate safety information.

This monumental revision ensures that cutting-edge, non-animal methods, such as organ-on-a-chip technology and computer modeling, can be fully utilized without ambiguity to evaluate drug safety and effectiveness, clearing a vital path for drug development without animal tests.

NIH Commits Millions to Non-Animal Alternatives & Expanded Transparency

Building on prior initiatives, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a major push to expand animal-free research methods and reduce reliance on animal testing. As part of a broader effort by Health and Human Services (HHS), NIH will invest more than $88 million in biomedical infrastructure projects nationwide, supporting facilities designed to advance non-animal technologies such as organ chips, organoids, computational tools, and other technologies that better reflect human biology.

NIH plans to establish a state-of-the-art laboratory at the NIH Clinical Center that will combine standardized human organoid models, robotics, artificial intelligence, and advanced data capabilities to enable more reproducible experiments using human biological systems. NIH will also recruit grant reviewers with expertise in human-based science so that proposals using these methods are evaluated by reviewers with appropriate technical knowledge, and without animal testing bias.

Another announcement from NIH deserves special attention. The agency is seeking public input for producing an annual public report tracking the number of vertebrate animals used in NIH-funded research. For decades, the true scale of federally funded animal experimentation has been difficult or impossible to gauge. Greater transparency about numbers of animals would be a major step toward accountability and most importantly, reducing their numbers.

Legislation Introduced to End Experiments on Dogs and Cats: The COMPACT Act

In truly exciting news, Congressional representatives have introduced bipartisan legislation this week to end research using companion animals. The Companion Animal Protection Against Cruel Testing (COMPACT) Act (H.R. 10522) would ban federal funding for biomedical experimentation on live dogs and cats, while providing a path for rehoming dogs and cats no longer used in experiments.

Stay tuned: CAARE will be sending out an action alert very soon so you can contact your members of Congress and ask them to support the COMPACT Act!

These breakthroughs mark a tremendous turning point in the movement to replace cruel, outdated animal testing with modern, effective, and humane science.

For years, CAARE has been at the forefront of this fight, relentlessly advocating for modern, human-based alternatives, exposing animal cruelty in laboratories, and pressing federal agencies to embrace progressive policy changes. These actions by federal agencies to move away from inhumane animal experiments prove that our collective efforts are making a major, lasting difference.

We could not have achieved these milestones without your unwavering support. Together, we will keep pressing on until animal experimentation is a thing of the past!

Citizens for Alternatives to Animal Research and Experimentation (CAARE), is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, established to highlight and promote research without animals. Please donate to support CAARE’s mission to reduce animal suffering by disseminating information about the power and progress of research without animals. 

We gratefully accept gifts from Donor Advised Funds. Our legal name is Citizens for Alternatives to Animal Research and Experimentation, EIN: 46-5261800, P.O. Box 102, Ardsley, NY 10502.