Indian Company Outsources Primate Testing to Malaysia

by Annie Hartnett · 2010-05-31 14:00:00 UTC
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Indian drug company, Vivo Biotech, plans to build a multi-million dollar animal testing laboratory in Malacca, Malaysia. The facility will test trial medicines on primates, dogs, and small mammals.

Many companies are increasingly outsourcing animal testing to Asia because of lower costs and fewer cruelty regulations. India has strict regulations on animal testing in place; animal cruelty is against the law in Malaysia, but there are no separate guidelines to protect lab animals.

Vivo Biotech plans to import beagles from Holland and try to obtain domestic primates for testing. This appears to conflict with Malaysia's 2008 ban on the export of primates for scientific research. If Malaysia wants to stop other countries from testing on their primates, why will they allow a foreign company to test on their primates within Malaysian borders?

But a Malaysian government official defended the project, stating: "God created animals for the benefits of human beings. That's why he created rats and monkeys ... We cannot test on human beings. This is the way it has to be. God created monkeys, and some have to be tested."

Drug companies will argue that testing on animals is necessary for the sake of medicine, but many argue that animal testing is barbaric, unreliable, and ineffective.

A spokesperson for the Malaysia's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals voiced these concerns: "Our primates will be snatched from the forests to be tested for what? Animal testing really leads to nowhere."

In 2009, a French drug company proposed a similar project to Vivo Biotech's lab proposal. The company attempted to build an animal testing laboratory in southern Johor state using imported Macaques monkeys. The project was halted due to protests from environmental groups.

It is time for public outcry again. A drug company that outsources animal testing to a country with few regulations on animal cruelty has no interest in the welfare of their animal subjects. Cruelty should not be outsourced.

Photo Credit: s-a-m

Annie Hartnett is a writer and animal advocate who has worked for several wildlife rehabilitation centers and environmental programs.
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