Animals are used to test the safety of medicines, but this practice is doubted by many scientists. There are many examples of medications that damage or kill human patients after passing animal tests. Meanwhile technology has made many incredibly accurate non-animal tests available.
Astonishingly, animal experiments have never been formally evaluated from a medical perspective. Now a cross party group of MPs have launched The Safety of Medicines (Evaluation) Bill 2009. This Bill would request a statistical evaluation of animal tests by a panel of independent experts. We desperately need this evaluation. It is estimated that a million people are hospitalised every year in the UK by unexpected drug reactions. This costs the taxpayer £2 billion per year.
Early Day Motion 569 has also been launched. This is like a petition that can only be signed by MPs. PLEASE ASK YOUR MP TO SIGN THIS by sending a pre-written postcard available from: http://www.safermedicines.org/safetyofmedicines/index.shtml. If you prefer to email your MP, please follow the advice here: http://www.safermedicines.org/safetyofmedicines/email.shtml. Alternatively, you can email your MP via http://www.writetothem.com. Enter your postcode and write a short polite note asking for them to sign EDM569 - this will be sent online. Sorry, you can only do any of these if you live in the UK.
You can see more about the Bill and the EDM at: http://www.safermedicines.org/safetyofmedicines/index.shtml
If this Bill goes ahead it could end some of the most controversial, cruel tests on animals. It could also stop human patients suffering side effects including blindness, organ failure, birth defects and death.
Please support the Bill and EDM.
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