FDA Approves Alternative to Animal Testing for Botox

The healthcare company Allergan has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its in-vitro, cell-based assay for testing its own brand BOTOX® (onabotulinumtoxinA) and BOTOX Cosmetic, which the company estimates will lead to a 95% reduction in animal tests over the next three years.

Organizations including the British Union of Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) and the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments (ECEAE) are applauding Allergan’s announcement after working hard campaigning to end the use of animals in botox tests.

“We welcome this latest development. It is totally unacceptable that animals should continue to pay for our vanity by suffering and dying in these horrendous tests,” said BUAV Chief Executive, Michelle Thew.

The new assay will be put into effect immediately to test the stability and potency of its product. According to Allergen, “the new assay is the first to be developed and approved for any botulinum neurotoxin currently available worldwide, and is specifically applicable to Allergan’s botulinum toxin type A product.”

“We are proud to have achieved this major scientific milestone in the development of a safe and effective alternative test capable of eliminating the need for an animal-based assay for BOTOX®,” said Scott Whitcup, M.D., Allergan’s Executive Vice President, Research and Development and Chief Scientific Officer.

The production of botox currently requires the use of the LD50 test, where thousands of mice are subjected to the drug every year. A recent investigation by BUAV of Wickham Laboratories in the UK uncovered their use of approximately 74,000 mice to test their product Dysport annually, despite having a valid alternative available.

The mice are injected into the abdomen with the botox and then watched. They then typically become paralysed, eventually gasping for breath and if they’re not killed, they will suffocate to death. The ones who don’t die, are gassed or have their necks broken with a pen, which often resulted in breaking backs, instead of killing them (see video).

BUAV will continue to work to get more companies to adopt non-animal alternatives, including Ipsen and Merz-Pharma, in addition to calling on the European Medicines Agency to accept the new alternative for all botox products.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Susan G.

5:34AM PDT on Mar 24, 2012

When I click to donate, I never click on the breast cancer option. I have asked Care2 a number of times if they can assure me that my click does not go to research that does animal experiments. They have not responded. Have any other animal lovers considered this possibility: that when we click to donate on breast cancer we may be giving money to do animal research?

send a green star

Quanta K.

9:07PM PST on Nov 30, 2011

Thanks.

Natalie R.

5:45AM PST on Nov 15, 2011

Of course they will stop, 'cause now they know it is working already, after killing thousands...

Alicia N.

10:51AM PDT on Sep 28, 2011

Animal testing HAS to stop for once and for good!

Sonny H.

7:46AM PDT on Sep 28, 2011

NO more testing on animals!

Donna H.

5:56PM PDT on Sep 18, 2011

Keep up the good work, BUAV. I look forward to the day that all animal testing is banned for good.

Veronica B.

12:37PM PDT on Sep 7, 2011

Stop all animal testing now!!!

Carole D.

6:55AM PDT on Aug 17, 2011

Stop testing on animals NOW! There is always an alternative. People are disgusting!

Penny L.

8:59AM PDT on Jul 31, 2011

If you are using botox you suck

8:56AM PDT on Jul 31, 2011

How about stopping this crap right now instead of 3 years! How about no animals ever being killed for botox! What the hell only 95%, screw them shut them down 100%! They were also using beagles for botox testing too, these people only care about money, and the people who botox are beyond vain, they know a poor animal dies, they just do not care! I have had it with animal testing, americans are so sick of this evil practice, I will fight for this until I am dead, NO ONE has to right to kill any living thing, yes we eat animals for food, but they suffer greatly also, I am so sick of the disrespect for a helpless animal, STOP THIS EVIL CRAP RIGHT NOW!