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Animal testing is vital for developing lifesaving medical treatments.
Animal research enabled breakthroughs like insulin therapy and early polio vaccines, saving millions of lives.
Whole-organism models capture systemic immune, endocrine, and multi-organ interactions that alternatives still cannot fully replicate for safety and efficacy.
Strict oversight and the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) aim to minimize harm and improve study quality.
Animal testing can inflict pain and distress; many jurisdictions ban it for cosmetics, showing non-animal approaches can protect consumers.
Translation to human benefit is limited: a 2024 analysis reports ~5% of therapies advance from animal research to regulatory approval.
For specific endpoints, validated non-animal methods are already accepted by regulators (e.g., OECD TG 439 for skin irritation).
Supporters argue that whole-organism studies remain necessary for complex biology and have underpinned landmark therapies, while emphasizing strict ethical oversight. Critics counter that animal suffering and modest translation to human benefit warrant strong limits and rapid adoption of validated non-animal methods already recognized by regulators.
Animal testing became central to 20th-century biomedicine. The 3Rs framework (1959) shaped modern oversight, and recent policy and guideline updates (e.g., OECD in vitro tests) have expanded the role of alternatives in safety assessment and research.