Letter to the editor: Good for science, good for animals
April 2025 marked a historic turning point for science, public health and animal welfare. With the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration announcing plans to phase out animal testing in favor of human-based research methods, we are finally moving past a system that has harmed millions of animals and yielded unreliable results.
Over 90% of drugs that pass animal tests ultimately fail in human trials, a significant failure rate in the face of rising health care costs and unmet medical needs.
This shift, catalyzed by the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 and driven forward by new leadership, signals a bold embrace of 21st-century science. Organ chips, organoids and AI-based models offer safer, faster and more humane pathways for developing treatments — especially for the 25 million to 35 million Americans with rare diseases and few options.
Additionally, the rise of biologics, a rapidly growing class of therapies designed specifically for human biology, renders animal testing increasingly obsolete and scientifically unjustified.
As a student in Pittsburgh, a city known for its medical and scientific innovation, I’m proud to see our national research institutions finally recognizing that what’s good for science can (and should) also be good for animals. Aligning our scientific goals with more humane, data-driven methods is a step forward for patients, animals and public trust in medical research.
Abhi Nadendla
Oakland
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