โThe greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. Vivisection is the blackest of all the black crimes that man is at present committing against God and His fair creationโฆโฆโฆโฆI abhor vivisection with my whole soul. All the scientific discoveries stained with the innocent blood I count as of no consequence.โ
Mahatma Gandhi
Animals have played a very important role in the life of human beings. Some argue that experimentation in animals has given us enormous information and knowledge that made it possible to understand several diseases. It is also noted that animal data are not being translated to successful clinical outcomes, as evident from failure rates of over 90 per cent between nomination for phase I clinical trials and approval of new drugs.[i]
Animal testing is possibly one of the worst things an animal can be subjected to. They live in captivity in cramped conditions, often without access to water and proper lighting . Injuries in these animals are quite common.
In 1959, Russell and Burch released a book titled โThe Principles of Humane Experimental Techniqueโ, it first introduced the concept of 3Rs – Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement of animals in experimentation. Along the same line, India formed the Committee for the Purpose of Supervision of Experiments on Animals. It was formed under Section 15(1) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, is responsible for ensuring that โanimals are not subjected to unnecessary pain or suffering before, during or after performance of experiments on themโ. Overtime, we have also inculcated a fourth R, that of Rehabilitation for the animals used in experiments
There have been many changes since the enactment of half a century old law. People have become more aware about the adverse effects of animal testing. And, the call for animal rights has been stronger than ever. India has followed the Gandhian ideals, recognised the evils of animal testing and the technological developments. In 2013, India has banned the testing of cosmetic products sold in the country making it the first South Asian country to do so. This was acclaimed globally. This was followed by India banned the import of cosmetics which have been tested on animals. In 2018, this ban was extended to testing of soaps and detergents on animals. [ii]
As of now, animal testing is still allowed for clinical trials. As said earlier, animal testing is thought to provide valuable information about how a drug would work. And until recently, a clinical trail could not avoid animal testing. But recent developments in technology are slowly making it possible to replace animal testing with computer based and 3D models which renders more accurate results.
As one article notes:
The sequencing of the human genome and birth of functional genomics, the explosive growth of computer power and computational biology, and high-speed robot automation of cell-based (in vitro) screening systems, to name a few, has sparked a quiet revolution in biology. Together, these innovations have produced new tools and ways of thinking that can help uncover exactly how chemicals and drugs disrupt normal processes in the human body at the level of cells and molecules. From there, scientists can use computers to interpret and integrate this information with data from human and population-level studies. The resulting predictions regarding human safety and risk are potentially more relevant to people in the real world than animal tests[iii]
Countries like UK, USA and EU are
consciously trying to replace animal testing. India should join the list,
recognise the pain it causes animals and try to replace animal testing.
[i] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335223175_Need_for_alternatives_to_animals_in_experimentation_An_Indian_perspective
[ii] http://alternativecurator.com/animal-testing-laws-india/
[iii] https://www.hsi.org/news-media/about/
