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House of Commons Debate to Improving Human Health by Modernising Biomedical Late 2005 Saw an Extraordinary Leaflet by the Association of Medical Research

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House of Commons Debate to Improving Human Health by Modernising Biomedical Late 2005 Saw an Extraordinary Leaflet by the Association of Medical Research Europeans for Medical Progress Newsletter Winter 2005/06 is a non-profit research and educational institute dedicated House of Commons Debate to improving human health by modernising biomedical Late 2005 saw an extraordinary leaflet by the Association of Medical research. We focus on rigorous discussion meeting in the House of Research Charities that “Some of the scientific analysis of animal Commons, entitled “Is animal major advances in the last century experimentation to assess the experimentation helpful to medicine?” would have been impossible without balance of help or harm to EMP’s science director, Dr Jarrod animal research” is misleading and human health. We oppose Bailey and science consultant, Dr told the AMRC not to repeat it. animal modelled research as a John Pippin – Senior Medical Advisor method for seeking cures and Our opponents were completely to the Physicians Committee for treatments for human disease unable to refute such devastating Responsible Medicine – opposed based on overwhelming scientific indictments of animal research as the Professor Colin Blakemore, Chief evidence that findings from fact that 30 AIDS vaccines successful Executive of the Medical Research animal models cannot be reliably in primates have failed in clinical Council and Dr Simon Festing, extrapolated to humans. When trials, or that out of 700 stroke such findings are extrapolated to Executive Director of the Research treatments successful in animals, not a humans, patients, consumers and Defence Society. research volunteers are harmed single one of more than 150 tested in and medical progress is As always on such occasions, EMP humans has emerged as safe and hampered. We communicate the presented scientific data making a effective, or that Vioxx, which caused urgent need to focus on methods compelling case against the medical an estimated 320,000 human heart of research that truly serve the value of animal experimentation, attacks and strokes was marketed interests of patients, rather than while our opponents’ case rested on partially on the strength that it is corporate finances. the notion that experimenting on cardioprotective in mice, rats and animals is better than eating them or monkeys. Instead – predictably – they Our educational work functions as a separate charity: EMP Trust. hunting them. They present no data in resorted to personal attacks, including support of their position, relying the favourite tactic of labelling instead on hyperbole such as “all opponents as animal rights activists. Europeans for Medical Progress medical advances of the past 100 Dr Festing’s recent exploits in this PO Box 38604 years have depended on animals” – a vein include telephoning colleagues London W13 0YR claim for which we request evidence of Dr Bailey at Newcastle University Tel: 020 8997 1265 each time but which is never to ‘inform’ them that Dr Bailey is Email: [email protected] provided. In fact, the Advertising ‘involved in animal rights’ in a Web: www.curedisease.net Standards Authority upheld a desperate attempt to tarnish his standing. complaint made by EMP when it ruled It was a pity that a larger audience in October that the claim made in a INSIDE THIS ISSUE: could not have been treated to this revealing display of the contrast between the two sides in this • Action – EDM 92 debate but many more people were able to get a flavour of the event • Review of Primate Use Published from an article in the Independent, reproduced with permission here: • Reaching Major Science Journals The Independent, 16 Jan 2006 • An Awful Lot of ‘Heretics’ Life&culture: The Green Pages • NICE Conference The Green Goddess: Julia Stephenson • School Talk Successes ([email protected]) • Widespread Media Coverage • Unethical Clinical Trials • US and EU Back Microdosing Dr Jarrod Bailey & Dr John Pippin While the debate rages on, lab rats are links with any animal rights groups or charities, that he was a fully paid-up scientist and committed to still suffering proving the ineffectiveness of animal testing through The last time I visited the Houses of Parliament was scientific means only. seven years ago to have tea with my then romantic It makes me livid that anyone who argues against interest, who was a member of the House of Lords. It vivisection is branded a radical (some of us are quite was a comforting occasion, with homely waitresses, reasonable). This tarnishes the fair-minded guardians toasted teacakes and lashings of “your lordships”. of animal welfare and makes it harder for them to get This antiquated vision has fortunately been swept a fair hearing. away and replaced by Blair’s hand-picked cronies. Far more democratic! Interestingly, Dr Festing’s father is a consultant for Harlan UK, which is one of the world’s largest I only share this blast from my past because my most suppliers of animals to research laboratories. He also recent visit wasn’t so comforting. For a start, the holds financial interests in a number of queues! It’s easier to get through customs at Tel Aviv pharmaceutical companies, including airport these days than through security at the House GlaxoSmithKline and Celltech. of Commons. The tragic thing is that while we humans bicker and This time I was attending a debate: “Is animal pharmaceutical companies line their pockets, in experimentation helpful to medicine?” Pro- laboratories all over the world animals are suffering vivisectionists Professor Colin Blakemore, chief unimaginably agonising deaths when there are already executive of the Medical Research Council, and Dr far more effective testing methods available. Simon Festing, executive director of the Research Defence Society were ranged against Dr Jarrod Bailey, science director of Europeans for Medical Progress, It is refreshing to see such an honest account of a and Dr John Pippin, consultant to the Physicians debate about the scientific validity of animal Committee for Responsible Medicine. experimentation printed in a national newspaper; having become more accustomed to the kind of Drs Bailey and Pippin explained how human tissue, dishonest version of events produced by the Observer imaging, computer models and microdosing offer more (see our last newsletter). George Orwell observed that reliable data than can ever be obtained from animals. “In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a Exciting developments like pharmacogenomics that revolutionary act.” We hope that other newspapers will use human DNA chips allow the right medicines to be follow the Independent’s courageous lead and that the prescribed for the right patients. This reduces adverse ramifications of this article will be far-reaching. drug reactions, which kill thousands of people and We were pleased to observe a boost in support for cost the NHS £500m every year. EDM 92 following the debate: there were 149 Owing to habit and cost, most companies still rely on signatories as we went to press. animal tests - even though they often fail to predict hazards for humans. The arthritis drug Vioxx was linked with fatal heart attacks and strokes, though tests Action – EDM 92 in mice and monkeys had shown it was “safe”. 149 MPs have already signed Early Day Motion 92: Testing on animals tells us about animals, not people. “Animal testing of drugs”, revealing that there is Aspirin can be fatal to cats; penicillin kills guinea pigs; substantial parliamentary support for the idea of a arsenic poisons humans but not sheep; lemon juice scientific evaluation of animal testing. However, in poisons cats and rabbits; thalidomide can be hazardous order to turn that support into action, we would like to to humans but is safe for most animals; 30 HIV double the number of signatories and for that we need vaccines worked well in monkeys but all have failed in your help. If your MP has not already signed, please human trials; 700 stroke treatments have succeeded in ask them to do so before late November 2006. We animals but not one has succeeded in patients. have produced a postcard (enclosed) in order to I was shocked that instead of refuting any of these enable you to do this with the minimum of effort. arguments, Dr Festing (who has never been a research Every MP has received a briefing from us, setting out scientist) suddenly began accusing Dr Pippin of several compelling reasons to assess the efficacy of being a radical animal rights campaigner and animal tests, as itemised on our website at connected to Peta. Dr Pippin reiterated he had no www.curedisease.net/news/050525.shtml. You can find the name of your MP at health and to have little or no predictive value or www.locata.co.uk/commons or the House of application to human medicine. We briefly discuss the Commons information line 020 7219 4247. reasons why this may be so, reflect upon the consequences for future medical progress and, on the EDM 92 reads: “That this House, in common with basis of our findings, suggest a more scientifically Europeans for Medical Progress, expresses its concerns robust and promising way forward. regarding the safeguarding of public health through data obtained from laboratory animals, particularly in For the benefit of human medical progress, it is surely light of large numbers of serious and fatal adverse drug time for objectivity, transparency and honesty in the reactions that were not predicted by animal studies; is assessment of NHP models and their contribution to concerned that the Government has not commissioned medical science. Only by ensuring this can we be or evaluated any formal research on the efficacy of confident that we are utilizing scientific technology to animal experiments, and has no plans to do so; and, in the full, performing the best translational research common with 83 per cent. of general practitioners in a possible, and making real progress towards the relief recent survey, calls upon the Government to facilitate of human suffering and disease.
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