International Council on Animal Protection in Pharmaceutical Programs
Who are they?
The International Council on Animal Protection in Pharmaceutical Programs (ICAPPP) is a coalition of the major animal protection organisations committed to achieving change in the way medicines are produced and tested internationally.
What do they do?
ICAPPP aims to ensure the widest possible integration of alternatives to animal testing in concept papers and guidelines produced by the ICH and regional pharmaceutical regulators, in the interests of animal protection, public health and sound science.
The ICH is the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use, and is a project that brings together the regulatory authorities of USA, Europe and Japan and experts from the pharmaceutical industry in the three regions. Its purpose is to recommend ways to achieve greater harmonisation of guidelines and requirements for product registration in order to reduce the need to duplicate the testing carried out during the research and development of new medicines.
ICAPPP submits comments on ICH and regional pharmaceutical pre-clinical guidelines, suggesting changes that should (and can) be made, in order to reduce, replace and refine the use of animals to test the safety and efficacy of medicines.
How is the BUAV involved?
The BUAV is a founding member of ICAPPP and Dr Katy Taylor, the BUAV’s Science Coordinator, acts as secretariat of ICAPPP. It is important for the BUAV to work cooperatively with other animal organisations in ICAPPP because bodies such as the ICH listen to stakeholders when we come together as one united voice.
