The Importance Of Animal Testing

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Every year millions of animals all over the world are used in scientific research. The purpose is to check how animals’ systems react to some of the chemicals used in producing drugs and cosmetics. Opponents of animal testing argue that it is completely immoral and inhumane to conduct any kinds of experiments on animals. They also claim that there are plenty of alternative methods of testing new chemical products without harming animals. However, proponents of animal testing claim that such kind of research helps them to discover new treatments for the most dangerous diseases of our time. Despite some common beliefs about the importance of animals’ usage in science, the majority believes in the importance of prohibiting testing on living creatures.…show more content…
This particular choice is connected to the similarities in DNA of animals’ and humans’ organisms. Chimpanzees are 98% similar to humans; 99% of mouse genes turn out to have analogues in humans; fruit flies share about 60% of its DNA with humans. However, 98% and 99% is not 100% which means that there is no complete certainty about the result. The scientific experiment with a purpose to test a new kind of medicine conducted on an animal may give a negative result. However, it will not mean that the human’s organism will react in the same way. There are cases which prove it. For example, animal testing showed that penicillin was ineffective and even toxic for rabbits and pigs used in the research. On the contrary, it proved to be helpful for treating bacterial infections in most humans. In 2006, in the UK, human volunteers when testing monoclonal antibody treatment (used to “fight” cancer cells) suffered a severe allergic reaction and nearly died. “Testing on monkeys at 500 times the dose given to the volunteers totally failed to predict the dangerous side effects”, - corresponds Cruelty Free International. Another case happened in 1950, when thalidamin was discovered and prescribed to pregnant women to treat their morning sickness. Even though it was safe on animals, women gave birth to 10,000 children with defects. Thus, there's no sense in using…show more content…
It is a huge risk to invest billions of dollars in an experiment without being 100% positive that the result is valuable and more profitable. Of course, despite chemicals and laboratory supplies, scientists also need animals. The Jackson Laboratory buys mice at a price of $2.9 mln, and by the end of the research hopes to get $98 mln. However, it is expensive to maintain those hundreds of mice and dozens of rabbits in laboratories. Keeping them in cages would not be a big deal if the experiment works perfectly and the purchase of animals pays off. Rather often an experiment does not work successfully. As a result, investors lose their money; the product is not produced and sold to markets. Since the former president Richard Nixon signed the Conquest of Cancer Act in 1971, the "war on cancer" in the USA has become a "series of losing battles." Through taxes, donations, and private fundings, Americans have spent almost $200 billion on cancer research since 1971. However, more than 500,000 Americans die of cancer every year. This fact proves that despite spending lots of money for purchasing animals, there’s no significant progress and people still

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