Dr. Marty Makary, commissioner at the Food and Drug Administration, said the agency is moving away from animal testing in drug development. He emphasized that modern technology offers alternatives that are more effective and more humane.
“Animal testing is just not very good when it comes to testing drugs,” Makary stated, adding that “90% of drugs that pass animal testing don’t pass human testing for safety and efficacy.”
Makary highlighted emerging tools such as computational modeling and lab-grown cell cultures that can outperform traditional animal research. “Computational modeling can look at a molecule and predict if it’s going to be toxic,” he said, noting that combined technologies are “better, safer, cheaper, and more humane than testing animals.”
The shift is part of a broader initiative by the Trump administration to reduce costs and improve efficiency in drug development. “We’re looking for efficiencies. We’re looking to cut the waste in the system,” Makary explained. “When we have a goal of lowering drug prices, that means looking at the R&D costs.”
Eliminating animal testing in some cases can significantly speed up approvals and reduce expenses. For example, scrapping the use of “144 chimpanzees routinely used for testing” shortens the time to approval and “lowers the R&D cost, which translates to lower drug prices.”
Makary also pointed to outdated regulatory requirements, stating that the FDA had still been requiring “two species of animal testing for a new drug, even if the drug was already approved in Europe and used in millions of people.” The agency is now using common sense.
New technologies, including artificial intelligence, allow researchers to predict how drugs will affect organs without animal trials. “We can do that now with computer modeling instead of the old injecting 100 bunny rabbits,” Makary added.
The changes could yield major savings, particularly for expensive biologic drugs. Removing redundant trial requirements can “save $300 million per medication,” Makary said. “That means lower drug prices for everyday Americans.”
The FDA is also targeting reductions in animal testing beyond pharmaceuticals. “We don’t need to be using animals” for products such as sunscreen, Makary stated, adding that absorption can be determined through molecular analysis.
Overall, the agency plans to phase down animal testing significantly. “We’re going to be reducing tens of millions of dollars and thousands and thousands of animals each year from the unnecessary testing that goes on,” he said.
Summing up the shift, Makary noted the new approach delivers across the board: “It’s faster, it’s more effective … and it’s better prediction.”
