Animal ethics
Use of animals in the pharmaceutical industry
At present, some experiments on living animals are essential for all pharmaceutical companies in the processes of discovery, development and production of new pharmaceutical and medical products. It is also a requirement from the authorities that drug candidates are tested in living animals before they can be tested in humans. Companies are required to provide appropriate data regarding efficacy, safety and toxicology from testing in both animals and humans before the authorities can approve a new product.
For a long time to come we will need animal experiments in research and development. It is an important goal to ensure that the animals do not suffer unneccesarily, and that is why we guidelines for how the animals are to be treated - also when they are not being tested which is 99% of the lifetime of the animalsMads Krogsgaard Thomsen, Executive Vice President and Chief Schience Officer
Responsible use of animals
We only use animals where no alternative exists. As we recognise that not all animal experiments can be replaced in the foreseeable future, we consider it our responsibility to actively support the principles of the 3Rs (Reduce, Refine and Replace animal experiments, Professor William Russell and Rex Burch, 1959) by integrating these principles in all our processes and procedures.
Novo Nordisk reviews animal models on a continuous basis for replacement with in vitro methods and uses human cells and tissues instead of living animals wherever possible. We challenge authorities on the appropriateness of using animals in drug release testing. We support and participate in initiatives on the development of valid alternatives to animal experiments, and work to inspire and encourage internal and external 3R initiatives.
Animal welfare is a high priority
When animals are used their welfare is given high priority and attention in several ways.
Novo Nordisk has initiated and developed new improved housing and care standards for all animal species used in-house, based on the natural behaviour and needs of these animals. We perform ethical reviews on all studies before they are initiated, and staff is trained in animal welfare. We monitor conditions at external contractors as well as our suppliers, and they must follow Novo Nordisk global housing standards for animals. In addition, we support and encourage our employees and external contractors to share better practices.
Reducing the number of animals
We do everything we can to minimise the number of animal experiments. We cannot eliminate them completely, because the complicated interplay between a pharmaceutical product and a living organism will never be able to be replicated completely in a test tube. The total number of animals used by Novo Nordisk has been reduced by almost 70% over the past 15 years. It is expected that our use of experimental animals needed to develop a drug within a given disease area will continue to decline over the next decades as new emerging technologies will make it possible to obtain even more important information without the use of
living animals.
