Earlier this year, White Coat Waste Project (WCW) convinced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to cancel a $5.5 million nicotine addiction experiment on monkeys and relocate the primates to an accredited sanctuary.
Now, as reported by Science magazine, Washington Examiner, and VegNews, U.S. Congressmen Brendan Boyle (D-PA) and Matt Gaetz (R-FL) have sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb citing WCW’s victory and requesting that the agency review all of its primate testing with an eye towards reducing and replacing the widely-opposed and wasteful practice. WCW research shows that the FDA is currently experimenting on over 300 monkeys at two different facilities.
#Democrats and #Republicans band together to lobby the @FDA to end cruel primate testing in federal laboratories. We need more of this kind of #bipartisan collaboration! >> https://t.co/fCfD5MBEVD pic.twitter.com/EIAQvr80Ze
— VegNews Magazine (@VegNews) November 8, 2018
The lawmakers’ move also follows a report that U.S. primate testing is at an all-time high when public support for animal testing is at an all-time low.
The total number of monkeys in research labs has not changed much in the past few years, but more are being used in studies: https://t.co/V01Kr0rYos
— News from Science (@NewsfromScience) November 2, 2018
Rep. Gaetz was a vocal critic of the FDA’s nicotine tests on monkeys and vowed to keep fighting the practice.
Earlier this year, the FDA announced that it was canceling multi-million-dollar nicotine addiction tests on monkeys & sending the surviving animals to a sanctuary following an investigation by @WhiteCoatWaste & criticism from @KenCalvert @JeffFlake & me https://t.co/wp4HtFlaia
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) November 1, 2018
Reps. Boyle and Gaetz are also working with Congressional colleagues and WCW on a new bipartisan initiative to secure retirement for all primates, cats, and dogs in federal labs.
Take a moment to write your Congress members and urge them to cut funding for all painful primate testing at the FDA and other federal agencies.
Please cut all funding for painful and useless experiments on innocent defenseless creatures
THERE IS NO REASON TO CONTINUE TO DO THESE BRUTAL TESTS ON INNOCENT DOG VICTIMS. HOW ABOUT THE TESTER HUMANS DO THESE TESTS ON THEMSELVES?
Stop this barbaric treatment on these poor animals
This has to stop!!
stop
Stop brutalizing these innocent animals!!!!
Nake ALL ANIMAL TESTING/ RESEARCH STOP IMMEDIATELY!
Animals deserve better!!
This has to stop now!
Please end their suffering
All cruel animal experiments need to stop now.