Emulate Endorses The Humane Research And Testing Act

In developing novel medicines, the pharmaceutical industry has relied on outdated research methods that were established in an era with an immensely different collective understanding of animal biology. Although the limitations of animal models in research were moderately recognized, they were the best available tools at the time for predicting drug safety and response prior to human trials. However, recent research and data have prompted us to question this status quo.

Today, more human-relevant models, such as organ-on-a-chip technologies, allow researchers to better understand disease mechanisms and drug action. Approximately 40 percent of the pharmaceutical pipeline consists of new advances harnessing the human immune system or human-specific biological factors. Animal models are ineffective in predicting human responses to many biologic medicines and vaccines, in addition to presenting numerous ethical issues and geopolitical challenges.

A paradigm shift is needed in order to improve drug discovery.