As a scientist focused on tangible data and results, it’s easy to be sceptical about the impact of legislative acts: the path from Congress to the lab is long and winding. Despite the subtle change and lack of immediate impact on patients, the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 is anything but inconsequential. I think, in truth, that it may be the spark needed to ignite the next era of animal-free drug discovery.
Animal testing has been required by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 1938, before any new drug can proceed through clinical trials and receive approval for human use. This 84-year-old requirement is one reason why biotechs have had little incentive to develop alternatives to animal models, despite the fact that the industry has desperately needed more biologically relevant alternatives for years.
Read on to learn how Pepper is changing drug discovery.
Source: pharmaphorum // See original post here.