By Loree Talley
The pivot point in The HSUS campaign to end animal use in testing Botox® and Botox® Cosmetic is fast approaching. The current testing, conducted on mice, is painful and typically results in half of the animals dying.
On Nov. 13 and 14, the U.S. government will host the Scientific Workshop on Alternative Methods to Refine, Reduce and Replace the Mouse LD50 Assay For Botulinum Toxin Testing. A goal of the workshop is to identify potential alternatives to the LD50 test used in assessing the potency of Botulinum Toxin Type A, the active ingredient in Botox products. The workshop is being co-organized by the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM), National Toxicology Program (NTP) Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM) and the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM).
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Your Voice Was Heard! |
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In February 2006, concerned HSUS constituents wrote to ICCVAM in support of a workshop on LD50 alternatives. Now, the agency is holding the workshop Nov. 13 and 14! |
In late 2005, The HSUS submitted a Test Method Nomination to ICCVAM, asking the committee to explore the issue of Botox's potency being assessed with the inhumane and outdated LD50 test. In response, ICCVAM proposed an expert workshop on the subject as a high priority. The committee requested feedback on its plans, asking whether an expert workshop is an appropriate first step in the process and, if so, whether it should be a high priority. After posting a notice in the Federal Register, ICCVAM received 100 percent positive feedback.
ICCVAM came out with a second notice in the Federal Register in August, announcing that the committee would move forward with the proposed workshop and requesting existing in vivo (animal) and in vitro (non-animal) data. The maker of Botox, Allergan, Inc., cited proprietary reasons to withhold much of its data. This is unfortunate, given that Allergan surely has years of data that would be helpful in advancing alternatives.
Many experts are expected to participate in the workshop. Participants will include representatives from government, industry, animal welfare organizations, and academia, including scientists working on potential alternatives. The topics to be covered range from Current Potency Testing Requirements and Practices for Botulinum Toxin Products to Potential Replacement of Animal Use for Botulinum Toxin Potency Testing. For more information on the workshop, and a draft agenda, please visit the ICCVAM website.
The HSUS hopes the upcoming workshop will help bridge communication and knowledge gaps, and serve as an important first step in moving the testing of Botulinum toxin-based products to non-animal methods.
For an up-to-date list of "cruelty-free" cosmetics and personal care products and manufacturers, visit The Coalition for Consumer Information of Cosmetics.
Loree Talley is the alternatives website coordinator for the Animal Research Issues section of The HSUS
