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Response to the statement of the EU Scientific Steering Committee

13 July 2007

on the use of non-human primates (NHP) in biomedical research

A briefing paper for Members of the European Parliament

The European Union’s Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) produced a scientific opinion paper in 2002 on the use of non-human primates (NHP) in biomedical research. This paper made a series of statements about scientific research on NHP, and it has informed the EU’s decision-making process on the matter.

In this briefing for MEPs by Animal Defenders International (ADI), the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS) and the Lord Dowding Fund for Humane Research (LDF) addresses each of the statements made by the SSC. We discuss current scientific opinion on the issues raised, and the scientific basis for adopting non-animal alternatives in biomedical research.

The statements made by SSC are given, followed by the response from ADI/NAVS/LDF.

1. Scientific Steering Committee ‘Statement’ section

• ADI Response – justification; species differences; limitations of laboratory animal research
• ADI Response – alternatives
• ADI Response – duplication, redundant research
• ADI Response – laboratory animal housing, transport, ethics, primate supply trade

2. The Scientific Steering Committee position: safety and efficacy/species differences & ADI’s Response

3. The Scientific Steering Committee’s five examples of diseases of concern:

• AIDS & ADI’s Response
• malaria & ADI’s Response
• tuberculosis & ADI’s Response
• hepatitis & ADI’s Response
• immune-based diseases (arthritis, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes etc) & ADI’s Response

SSC: problems faced in developing vaccines or therapeutics:

• 1) Host-viral/parasite relationship & ADI’s Response
• 2) Specificity of new generation drugs/biologicals & ADI’s Response
• 3) Outbredness and the need to consider genetic resistance & susceptibility & ADI’s Response

The SSC included research on TSE in its introduction, citing research on these diseases of the brain to justify the use of non-human primates in research:

• ADI Response: TSE (spongiform encepalopathy, e.g. scrapie, BSE, CJD)

References

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