FDA Commissioner Makary and a puppy (Getty Images)
"For too long, drug manufacturers have performed additional animal testing of drugs that have data in broad human use internationally. This initiative marks a paradigm shift in drug evaluation and holds promise to accelerate cures and meaningful treatments for Americans while reducing animal use," FDA Commissioner Martin A. Makary, said in comments provided to Fox News Digital.
"By leveraging AI-based computational modeling, human organ model-based lab testing, and real-world human data, we can get safer treatments to patients faster and more reliably, while also reducing R&D costs and drug prices. It is a win-win for public health and ethics."
Dogs, rats and fish were the primary animals to face testing ahead of Thursday's announcement, Fox Digital learned.
The phase-out focuses on ending animal testing in regard to researching monoclonal antibody therapies, which are lab-made proteins meant to stimulate the immune system to fight diseases such as cancer, as well as other drugs, according to the press release.
The logo of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is waved during a protest at the G-7 agriculture ministers meeting in Stuttgart, Germany, on May 13, 2022. (Yann Schreiber/AFP via Getty Images)
"Thank you @DrMakaryFDA for your years of advocacy & outstanding leadership to eliminate FDA red tape that forces companies & tax-funded federal agencies to conduct wasteful & cruel tests on dogs & other animals!" the group posted to X last week.
TRUMP ADMIN CUTS ADDITIONAL $1M IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR 'TRANSGENDER ANIMAL' EXPERIMENTS
"White Coat Waste made historic progress under Trump 45 to cut wasteful and cruel animal testing at the EPA and FDA, some of which was undone by the Biden Administration," Justin Goodman, senior vice president at White Coat, told Fox News Digital on Sunday.
"We applaud Administrator Zeldin and Commissioner Makary for picking up where Trump left off and prioritizing efforts to cut widely-opposed and wasteful animal tests. This is great news for taxpayers and pet owners as it sends a message to big spending animal abusers across the federal government: Stop the money. Stop the madness!"
Other animal rights groups and lawmakers praised the Trump administration for its recent moves to end animal testing.
President Donald Trump and a photo of a beagle puppy (Getty Images)
PETA PLEADS WITH NIH TO STOP FUNDING FOR ANIMAL STUDY, CALLS SLEEP EXPERIMENT 'CRUEL AND HORRIFIC'
Other groups have come out and warned that there is not yet a high-tech replacement for animals within the realm of biomedical research and drug testing, and that humane animal testing is still crucial to test prospective drugs for humans.
Some groups warn that humane animal testing is still crucial to test prospective drugs for humans. (iStock)
"We all want better and faster ways to bring lifesaving treatments to patients," National Association for Biomedical Research President Matthew R. Bailey said in a press release provided to Fox Digital. "But no AI model or simulation has yet demonstrated the ability to fully replicate all the unknowns about many full biological systems. That’s why humane animal research remains indispensable."
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Under his first administration, Trump took other steps to protect animals, including signing the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act into law in 2019, which made intentional acts of cruelty a federal crime.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/peta-animal-rights-groups-praise-trump-admin-bucking-animal-testing