STAT+: HHS unveils new initiatives to reduce animal testing in drug development

For the second time this year, the Department of Health and Human Services announced a new set of strategies to speed a shift toward human-based research methods and reduce the use of animals in medical testing. The Food and Drug Administration issued a final rule stating that research methods other than animal testing can be used when “appropriate” for determining the safety of drugs and biologics. Specifically, the rule replaces terms like “animal tests” and “animal studies” with “nonclinical ...