Question: Do you think people should be allowed to test on animals?

Helen Frost answered on 16 Jun 2017:

Hi Kate, you’ve asked a really important question, and I can only give my perspective, but it’s a complex issue so my answer will be long!

I personally have never done any experiments on animals, but in my opinion it’s a really important part of the medical research process. When someone wants to make a new medicine, they usually start by doing experiments on cells growing in a dish in the lab. Then, when they are completely convinced that the drug has the desired effect on that type of cell, they need to know if it has a different effect when it is given to a whole organism (because other types of cells might react to it differently). The most common ‘model organism’ in diseases and drug development is the mouse, but sometimes rats or fish (or others) are used, depending on the type of disease and experiments. For most drugs, it’s not possible to begin a clinical trial in patients until you can produce convincing data from animal model experiments, because the ethical committees which give the authorisation for a clinical trial can’t allow you to give a drug to patients without some proof that it isn’t too dangerous. Results from animal models doesn’t always mean you’ll see the same in humans though, so there are occasional stories in the news about patients in a clinical trial who get really sick from an experimental drug. That’s extremely uncommon though, thanks to the earlier tests using animal models. The animals are always kept in well-regulated conditions – the government monitors the welfare of the animals and the facilities they are living in – and there are strict ethical guidelines that scientists have to follow, to make sure the animals are treated well and don’t suffer.

Animal testing for cosmetics might be a little different. It’s the law, because the products are going to be used by humans, but makeup isn’t an essential that you need to survive, so some people think it’s unfair to test cosmetics on animals. I don’t wear makeup, but I can see that it’s a dilemma for a lot of people.

I hope that answered your question.