International: The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) announce end of funding for studies conducted exclusively on animals

This Monday, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that in future, all new NIH funding opportunities must include formulations on non-animal methods (NAMS) and that the NIH will no longer issue calls for proposals for projects that rely exclusively on animal testing.  

The announcement was made during a workshop on “Reducing Animal Testing” hosted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The workshop focused on the implementation of novel methods and other strategies to reduce animal testing. Speakers from the FDA, the NIH, and representatives of international regulatory authorities discussed previous successes, challenges, and ideas for implementation.