Energy and Commerce Committee Advances Legislation to Modernize Drug Testing and Reduce Animal Experiments
Builds on Buchanan’s FDA Modernization Act 2.0 Law to Accelerate Safer, More Humane Drug Development
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Vern Buchanan, Vice Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and Chairman of the Health Subcommittee, celebrated the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s passage of the FDA Modernization Act 3.0, a bill directing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to fully implement provisions to reduce unnecessary animal testing for drug development. Congressman Buchanan previously joined Congressman Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) and bipartisan colleagues Reps. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.), Diana Harshbarger (R-Tenn.), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Troy Carter (D-La.) in introducing the legislation.
Each year in the United States, millions of animals, including an estimated 50,000 dogs, are used in laboratory experiments and testing. This bill would require the FDA to fully implement the FDA Modernization Act 2.0, ensuring that safe and effective treatments are developed using advanced, innovative non-animal testing methods. This would mean phasing out animal testing and promoting humane alternatives, giving dogs traditionally used in labs, including the 1,500 beagles recently rescued in Wisconsin, the opportunity to leave research facilities and find loving homes.
“The FDA Modernization Act 2.0 was a monumental victory that helped modernize drug development and accelerate innovation without having to sacrifice animal welfare,” said Buchanan. “With FDA Modernization Act 3.0 now advancing out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Congress is taking the next step to build upon this success and ensure the FDA follows through on delivering speedier cures for diseases without subjecting animals to inhumane and counterproductive experiments.”
“The advancement of the FDA Modernization Act 3.0 out of committee marks another major step toward a more modern, effective, and humane system for evaluating medicines,” said Carter.“Congress already acted in 2022 to remove unnecessary barriers to innovative non-animal testing methods, and this bill helps ensure FDA implementation fully reflects both the law and today’s scientific capabilities.”
“Today’s full committee passage is another important step toward modernizing how we bring safe and effective drugs to market,” said Harshbarger. “The FDA has the authority to move beyond outdated, cruel testing methods, and our bill simply directs the FDA to follow through and update its regulations accordingly. I’m proud to work alongside Congressman Buddy Carter and my colleagues to keep this bipartisan effort moving forward.”
Buchanan, who co-chairs the Animal Protection Caucus in Congress, is a leading advocate for ending animal testing. He previously introduced the FDA Modernization Act 2.0, which was signed into law in 2022 and removed an 80-year-old requirement that forced pharmaceutical companies to use animal testing to prove a drug’s safety and efficacy. He is also a two-time recipient of the Humane Society’s “Legislator of the Year” award, winning the award in 2015 and 2020.
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