Animal testing is responsible for the torture and death of some 300 million animals per year world-wide. Furthermore, approximately 50% of animal experiments are conducted without anaesthetic. The largest supplier of animals to laboratories is Harlan Sprague Dawley Inc., the British arm of which is Harlan UK Ltd. Harlan UK is presently the subject of a Home Office enquiry, following the submission of evidence of appalling conditions by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV). Harlan's main client is Quintiles.
Quintiles is a US-owned company with laboratories in Ledbury (Herefordshire) and Riccarton (Edinburgh). Quintiles in Edinburgh was recently exposed by the BUAV investigator for having purchased 50 beagle puppies from Harlan UK, including a puppy named "Patch". Quintiles has refused to answer questions about the fate of the puppies. However, a leaked report gives details of the kind of experiments executed by Quintiles.
In 1997-8, Quintiles tested a new anti-anxiety drug, Lu 28-179, on beagles purchased from Harlan. 18 puppies (aged 7-10 months) had their chests cut open and had electrodes sewn to their hearts. The drug was then administered, and heart activity and blood circulation were measured. Two puppies died before the end of the experiment because of negligence. The experiment lasted for 2 hours, then all the puppies were killed. The experimental protocol was not adhered to: Quintiles failed to conduct thorough health checks prior to the test; the highest dose of anaesthetic was sometimes exceeded; one dog blood sample was lost and others were incorrectly labelled.
Remarkably, Quintiles did not acknowledge that these factors had any bearing on the results of the experiment.
The possibility of this drug being passed as "safe" after animal testing, but then proving to be dangerous to humans, has therefore increased. This is in addition to the finding of several studies that animal tests reveal the side effects of drugs in humans only 25-30% of the time. This is less reliable than flipping a coin.
Several humane testing methods exist, but the lives of innocent sentient beings are slightly cheaper than new technology. Meanwhile, Quintiles and other vivisection companies continue to abuse animals and take chances with human lives.
If you want to help put pressure on Quintiles to stop testing on animals, contact Edinburgh Animal Rights, c/o Autonomous Centre, 17 West Montgomery Place, Edinburgh, EH7 5HA. Tel: (0131) 441 1665. There will be a vigil held at Quintiles on 10 December as aprt of the campaign for a Universal Declaration of Animal Rights. For more information, phone Lucy-Ann on (0131) 667 6725.