The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) welcomes the European Commission’s roadmap towards phasing out animal testing for chemical safety assessments, which was published today, as an important step forward in advancing ethical, science-based innovation in Europe.

With 22 actions under three pillars, the roadmap envisages gradually replacing animal testing for chemical safety assessments in 15 domains, including chemical pharmaceuticals.

The research-based pharmaceutical industry has long supported - and is already making significant progress - on the 3Rs principles of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement of animal testing. We are committed to accelerating the development and qualification of non-animal, human-relevant testing methods.

EFPIA and our members look forward to working closely with the European Commission, the EMA and all stakeholders to support the successful implementation of the roadmap.

“Today’s roadmap reflects a shared ambition: to phase-in more predictive, science-driven approaches that can better protect both patients and the environment, while reducing reliance on animal testing,” said Kirsty Reid, Director of Science Policy.