Today, May 10th, 2022, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, M.D. (IA-02) signed on as a cosponsor of H.R. 2565, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Modernization Act. This bipartisan bill, introduced by Rep. Vern Buchanan (FL-16), would end a government requirement that animal testing be used to determine a drug's effectiveness on humans.
This legislation is the House companion to S. 2952, introduced by Sen. Rand Paul, M.D. (R-KY).
“For too long, the FDA has unnecessarily and inefficiently tested on animals for drugs meant for humans. This kind of testing is not supported by science and causes the needless death of animal test subjects,” said Miller-Meeks. “The FDA Modernization Act will cut the red tape, increase innovation and competition in the markets, which will allow for Iowa consumers to get the highest quality treatments at the best price. We know that we can conduct safer and more modern testing and it is time we lift the unnecessary regulations harming animals and hampering innovation.”
Background:
The FDA Modernization Act will streamline drug development and spur innovation without resorting to inhumane and counterproductive experiments on dogs, primates, and other animals. The bill would not ban animal testing outright but would allow the option for drug sponsors to use alternative methods where they are suitable.
In 1938, Congress passed the U.S. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, mandating animal toxicity testing. Since then, science and data have shown that in some products, animal testing is a highly inconsistent predictor of toxic responses in humans, while animal testing on any single pharmaceutical product often requires killing hundreds of animal test subjects.
Original source can be found here
