Alternatives
The UK government is failing in its legal obligation to enforce the universally accepted concept of the 3 R’s (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement) for animal tests.
The LD50 test for botulinum toxin for Dysport® has a valid test tube alternative. The SNAP-25 assay, a method that does not use live animals but instead measures the activity of the toxin in a test tube, can be used to replace the mouse LD50 tests for Dysport®.
The BUAV believes that under UK law this test should be used because the Home Office has a duty not to license tests when an alternative method is available. Furthermore, this test has been validated by an official UK government laboratory and has been used by them since 1999 for Dysport®.
Inexplicably, the UK Home Office is not insisting on this test even after all these years.
