title: Reduction of animal usage: British Pharmacopoeia Commission policy.
abstract: The British Pharmacopoeia Commission is committed to working towards the replacement or modification, wherever possible, of those assays and tests of the Pharmacopoeia that are performed in vivo and which may involve pain. An alternative or modified method is adopted by the Commission once it has been clearly demonstrated that it offers satisfactory control for pharmacopoeial purposes of the potency or other specific property of the preparation concerned. The relevant monographs of the British Pharmacopoeia and of the British Pharmacopoeia (Veterinary) are kept under active review and number of lines of investigation are being pursued by the appropriate advisory committees in furtherance of the Commission's objective. In vivo techniques are currently required for two main purposes, safety and potency testing of a range of biological materials. The progress being made towards a reduction in animal usage for safety purposes is exemplified by work being carried out with the aim of reducing reliance on rabbit testing for pyrogens. It is expected that the use of HPLC for the assay of peptide hormones may permit the phasing out of certain bioassays. With respect to immunological products several lines of enquiry are being followed. While in vitro alternatives remain the long term objective, the modification of existing in vivo methods to permit non-lethal end-points and the possibility of using analgesics are also considered. In pursuing this policy the Commission actively encourages those associated with its work to seek alternative procedures but it must be understood that the Commission itself has no source of funds to finance the necessary research.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
mesh_terms: D000700:Analgesics; D000826:Animal Testing Alternatives; D000827:Animal Welfare; D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000592:standards; D006728:Hormones / Q000592:standards; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000592:standards*; D010602:Pharmacopoeias as Topic / Q000592:standards; D011749:Pyrogens; D006113:United Kingdom; D014612:Vaccines / Q000592:standards
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000906:Antibodies; D006728:Hormones; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D011749:Pyrogens; D014612:Vaccines