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Scientists irked by move to curb experiments on animals

Scientists are annoyed by the Union government's move to control experiments on animals in research organisations. The scientists claim it will stunt the growth of science, particularly of biomedical research in the country.

Some scientists said the country was on the verge of making major advances in the development of new drugs and new vaccine, but further advancement would suffer a setback if the notification, issued last month, is implemented.

The notification (of the breeding of and experiments on animals (control and supervision rules, 1998) as recommended by a 17-member committee, requiring that research institutions seek permission from the Centre before carrying out experiments on animals in the laboratories, was not practicable, they said.

The draft rules, as notified recently, call for central government permission for conducting experiments at registered establishments, either funded by the central government or by an institution under its control.

The central government or the institution running the establishment, as the case may be, is to forward a monthly statement, containing details of the permission granted.

The registration could be suspended or revoked if the panel is satisfied with the report of the director (animal welfare) or the member-secretary or the authorised officer of the committee that the rules were not being complied with. After providing a reasonable opportunity for a hearing, the panel will direct the director (animal welfare), the member-secretary or the authorised officer to revoke the registration of the establishment or the breeder, for a specific period, indefinitely, or under special conditions.

The committee could also get the registration of such establishment or breeder suspended. In the event of suspension or revocation of a licence, such an establishment or breeder will have to cease all experiments on any animal, or on acquiring or transferring any animal.

Every registered establishment, before acquiring an animal for conducting any experiment on an animal, is to apply for the committee's permission, along with details to the member-secretary of the committee. The committee, while granting permission for conducting experiments on animals, could place conditions as it deemed fit to ensure that animals are not subjected to unnecessary pain or suffering before, during, or after experiments being performed on them.

No one could breed animals or trade them for experiments unless it is duly registered.

A meeting of several government research institutions and private organisations was convened at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad recently to discuss the move.

Lalji Singh, who convened the meeting, said that if the draft rules weren't modified, it would be very difficult to carry out animal experiments.

"We would be spending most of our time in seeking permission and submitting monthly reports. This is going to affect research activities very adversely," he said.

Singh urged Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Director-General R A Mashelkar to take up the matter with the higher authorities and ensure that suitable amendments were made to the draft rules. The recommendations decided on at the meeting have already been sent to the additional inspector-general of forests (wildlife), the Union ministry of environment and forests.

N Laxmaiah, deputy director of the National Institute of Nutrition, said the move would hamper scientific research and that issues about experiments being conducted on animals should be decided by scientists and not by politicians, he said.

He said the medicine used for the cure of several diseases was based on the research conducted on animals. Collaborative research with foreign countries would be affected following the restrictions. There was no need for fresh rules about conducting experiments on animals since the existing guidelines were sufficient, he said.

UNI

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