Sec. 2. Findings
516 words·~2 min read·
/bill/118/hr/1024/ih/section-2A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Congress finds the following: The National Institutes of Health
(NIH)has supported life-saving research that has greatly improved the health and well-being not only of Americans but also of people around the world. Much of this research has relied on animals. It is estimated that between 17,000,000 and 100,000,000 animals are used annually in the United States in research, education, and testing. However, the precise number of animals used in research in the United States is unknown. Such imprecise numbers make it impossible to effectively track and reduce the numbers of animals used. According to the NIH, approximately 30 percent of promising medications have failed in human clinical trials because they are found to be toxic despite promising pre-clinical studies in animal models. About 60 percent of candidate drugs fail due to lack of efficacy. . These statistics indicate that new, human-focused biology is needed. The laboratory use of animals has also long been a matter of public concern because, among other things, there is very little publicly available data provided by the NIH about the number and species of animals used in research. Effective alternatives to animals are becoming available, and their number is growing. Cutting-edge technologies have forged new frontiers in toxicology, biology, and medicine that have produced human-relevant models, including organoid cell cultures, multiphysiological systems, genomics, induced pluripotent adult stem cells, 3D modeling with human cells, molecular imaging, computer models, in silico trials, digital imaging, artificial intelligence, and other innovative methods, all of which have launched a technological revolution in biomedical research. The Animal Welfare Act ( Public Law 89–544 ) requires researchers to consider alternatives to animal use for painful procedures and stresses that researchers should not unnecessarily duplicate previous experiments. However, oversight is lacking, and these provisions are not implemented the way that Congress intended. As a result, researchers are not capitalizing on nonanimal models that might more effectively recapitulate human biology. A system of active incentives is needed to encourage researchers to develop and utilize humane, cost-effective, and scientifically suitable nonanimal methods based on human biology. Further, under the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act of 1993 ( Public Law 103–43 ), the NIH is supposed to outline a plan for reducing the use of animals in research. Section 404C(a)(1) of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 283e(a)(1) ), as added by section 205 of the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act of 1993, calls for the NIH to conduct or support research into… methods of biomedical research and experimentation that do not require the use of animals [and] methods of such research and experimentation that reduce the number of animals used in such research . A dedicated center that provides resources, funding, and training to encourage researchers to utilize humane, cost-effective, and scientifically suitable nonanimal methods based on human biology will result in more progress toward understanding human diseases and their treatments and cures. It will complete the vision that Congress set out in the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act of 1993 ( Public Law 103–43 ), which has been thwarted because of lack of oversight.
Connectionstraces to 1
Traces to 1 document
2 references not yet in our index
- Pub. L. 89-544
- Pub. L. 103-43
Citation graph
cites case law
Cites 3Cited by 0 across 0 sources