UK pharmaceutical industry backs 3R's centre
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) is sponsoring a new scientific post at the UK Government's national centre for the replacement, refinement and reduction of animals in research (NC3Rs).
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) is sponsoring a new scientific post at the UK Government's national centre for the replacement, refinement and reduction of animals in research (NC3Rs).
According to the organisation, the three-year sponsorship demonstrates the pharmaceutical industry's continued commitment to the centre's objectives. The holder of the post will be a full employee of the centre and report to its chief executive.
The initial primary objectives of the new job are to: provide a focus on pharmaceutical issues within NC3Rs; establish a database of current 3Rs activities within the pharmaceutical sector; conduct an analysis of further opportunities for 3Rs; establish ways of sharing best practice between academia and the commercial sectors; and develop proposals for new research to support industry objectives in the 3Rs and communicate these to other NC3Rs stakeholders.
'The ABPI fully supports the concept of reducing, refining and replacing the use of animals in medicines research - it is not only a question of being humane but it also ensures high quality research and makes good business sense to reduce costs,' said Dr Philip Wright, the ABPI's director of science and technology.
Companies participating in the post's sponsorship are GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Lilly, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Huntingdon Life Sciences and Sanofi-Aventis.