GSK letters

[Tribesman]

I agree with the protesters , the companies should stop testing drugs on animals and test them on the protesters instead .

[English assassin]

I agree with the protesters , the companies should stop testing drugs on animals and test them on the protesters instead .

Nah, the results wouldn't be generalisable to humans.

This is a tip of a major problem. In principle, it is good thing that share registers, lists of directors and so on are publicly available. there are lots of letigimate uses for us data, and god knows companies need a close eye kept on them. The trouble is that a very small number of protestors are compromising the availablility of all of this data.

Small case in point: my firm recently underwent a reorganisation that required all the partners details to go on a public register (I'll spare you the details). we don't actually work for pharma companies, but we do do some work for universities, and we do do some work for the NHS connected with drug appraisals. So, against the off chance that we might come to the attention of these people, we applied for, and easily got, a confidentiality order. This is happening all over the place.

What I really don't understand is why it is so difficult to put a stop to this. If there are as many as 15 people in the country organising the violent protests I'd be surprised. What do special branch actually do all day?

[Mount Suribachi]

As someone who works in the Pharmaceutical business, let me add my twopennorth.

What really, really winds me up about animal protestors is that they are barking up the wrong tree, if you'll pardon the pun.

Pharma companies test their drugs on animals because it is a Legal Requirement. They would love to not have to do it - it costs them a fortune

So all these animal protestors should really be petitioning the governments of the world on this issue. As for the rights/wrongs/effectiveness of animal testing, I'm not even going there

[rory_20_uk]

You work for Pharma? What do you do? I'm thinking / hoping to join in about 3 years time.

Anyhoo, back to the topic in hand:

Animal testing was started early last century in america after a new eyeliner called Lash Lure in fact had the unknown side effect of causing blindness and some deaths. Well, it was made from crude coal tar derivatives

Companies follow the laws. If you want them changed, ask the government!

I feel that more testing on prisoners would be a damn good idea. Make 'em do something useful with their (massively curtailed) lives. Failing that, people are going to die from human trials, and more from the drug released on the market. IMO that's not acceptable. More work is being done to improve in vitro models but they are currently simply not good enough.