Question: What are your views on animal testing?

Clio Andreae answered on 14 Nov 2019:

This is a very sensitive topic for most people. I am of too minds but feel it is an important and necessary part of drug discovery that should not be taken lightly and should be used only when all other tests that don’t involve animals have been conducted. Animal testing for medical research is important for the discovery of new treatments for human diseases (anything from cancer to cystic fibrosis Huntington, Alzheimer etc) and infectious diseases. Every drug that has been test or is being tested has gone through animals at one point. Working in the industry I have first hand experience of this topic, although I don’t personally deal with animals. The welfare of the animals is the highest priority and the main aim at the moment is to find ways to reduce, refine and replace the current animal models we use with better and more informative tests, earlier stage research with cell culture models, zebra fish embryos or wax moth larva. Animal research is highly regulated and requires constant updates to improve the lives of the animals being used and increased welfare. The animals used in research never suffer overly and they are very very well cared for and are provided with enrichment to ensure they have the best lives they can. Animal testing is only used as a last resort to ensure that the new drug has no harmful effects to humans and that it will work effectively and safely. We are constantly working towards using less and less animals in medical research and animal welfare keeps getting better and better.
I am against cosmetic testing on animals.