Breeding, keeping and transportation of laboratory animals

8. A complex process demands exact planning

The process of specifying the laboratory animals needed for a particular research goal, ordering the animals from the breeding facility, transporting them to their destination and settling them in there is demanding. It requires experts, clear responsibilities and effective collaboration between the point of contact at the pharmaceutical company, the researchers and the breeders. Thanks to foresighted and exact planning of the cohorts that will be needed for a particular experiment and the timeframes in which they will be required, the quality of biomedical research involving animals can be constantly improved and the number of animals required can be reduced. This is an active contribution to the 3Rs: refinement in terms of the species that are needed and when, and reduction in terms of optimising breeding schedules. All member companies of Interpharma are working on alternatives to animal experiments. For the time being, however, in vivo research is still needed to develop new treatments for severe diseases. It is therefore important to ensure that this research remains possible, subject to strict conditions, in Switzerland and throughout Europe.