India's Medicine Regulator Explores Alternatives to Animal Testing in Drug Trials

India's medicines regulator is examining the feasibility of decreasing reliance on animal studies in drug trials, as part of a global shift towards alternative testing methods driven by various concerns. Animal testing has been a long-standing practice in drug research, serving as a crucial bridge between laboratory discoveries and human trials. However, there is now a growing conversation globally about modifying this approach.

A government official mentioned that while completely eliminating animal models may not be feasible, the focus is on reducing dependence on animal studies. This topic was prominently featured at a recent drug regulatory conference in India, where presentations explored various alternative testing methods.

Alternative methods include in-vitro diagnostics (IVD), organs-on-a-chip technology, computational models, and human clinical research. Efforts are underway to adopt the '3Rs' approach - replace, reduce, and refine animal testing - while developing new approach methods using human cells and computer modeling.

Despite progress in several areas, complete replacement of animal models with new approach methods is still challenging. The scientific community is actively working on finding innovative solutions to address these challenges and move towards a more humane and effective drug testing process.