United Kingdom: Government presents roadmap for accelerated phase-out of animal testing

The British government has presented a roadmap aimed at accelerating the abolition of animal testing in science. On 11 November 2025, Science Minister Lord Vallance announced that researchers should increasingly rely on modern alternatives such as organ-on-a-chip systems, AI-supported drug analysis and 3D bioprinted tissue. The plan contains clear milestones: by the end of 2026, regulatory animal testing required to assess whether new treatments cause skin or eye irritation or skin sensitisation is to be phased out. By 2027, researchers are expected to end Botox potency tests on mice and to use only DNA-based methods for adventitious agent testing of human medicines. In addition, pharmacokinetic studies on dogs and non-human primates are to be significantly reduced by 2030.