Netherlands: one step closer to less animal testing

In the future, a part of animal testing for new medicines will no longer be necessary. In most cases, testing on one species of animal instead of two will be sufficient to rule out harmful adverse effects of a medicine during pregnancy, according to official health bodies in the Netherlands.

This is one of the conclusions from studies done by the Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board (MEB) and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) together with a number of research institutes and educational institutions.

The research results are a great step forward in reducing the use of animal testing during medical research. The results reflect the MEB and RIVM's ambition to create medicine development that is safe for patients without the use of animal testing.