France looking for alternatives to animal experiments

The research ministry and Afssaps, the medicines regulator, in corroboration with 10 other agencies and organisations have formed a scientific interest group to reduce or eliminate unnecessary animal experimentation.

The group has allied itself with the European Consensus Platform on Alternatives and is working towards implementation of the rules developed by the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods. With the two subcommittees – healthcare products and chemical substances – planning to recruit expert scientists shortly, the group is poised to move into the practical phase of operations.