In a powerful recent interview, scientific advisor Dr. Andre Menache outlines to Peter Egan why the pharmaceutical industry continues to rely on outdated animal testing methods even as modern alternatives offer far greater accuracy in predicting human outcomes. The conversation sheds light on the historical roots of animal testing, the financial incentives keeping it alive, and the urgent need for reform.
Getting a new drug to market takes 10 to 12 years and can cost up to a billion dollars. Traditionally, the final step before testing on humans is animal testing, typically using rats, dogs, or monkeys. Despite the fact that 90 to 96% of drugs that pass animal trials fail in humans, the industry continues to follow this model.
Why? Because pharmaceutical companies are allowed to choose how they prove safety and efficacy to regulators like the FDA or MHRA. For 75 years, they’ve submitted animal data knowing it’s unreliable. These tests produce a larger pipeline of drugs, many of which would be weeded out by more precise methods like organ on a chip technology. More drugs mean more potential blockbusters, and therefore more profit.
Even though 21st century technologies like human organ chips are already more predictive, they face slow and cautious regulatory acceptance. Some countries, like the U.S., have begun transitioning away from animal models, but not fast enough. Laws like Herby’s Law, which calls for a phase out by 2035, are seen by critics as a delay tactic rather than a serious solution.
Menache emphasizes that public and political awareness is lacking. Most people get their information from media narratives shaped by industry interests. Shareholders and taxpayers are largely unaware that billions are being wasted on methods with poor success rates.
The real shift, he says, won’t come from within the industry. It will come from an informed public demanding change, from investors questioning where their money is going, and from legislators finally acting on the science.
The technology to replace animal testing is already here. What’s missing is the pressure to use it. As advocates for lab beagles, everyone here needs to be that pressure! Join our protest at Marshall BioResources on Friday, September 12th, 2025. Starts at 9:00 AM EST at 5800 Lake Bluff Road, North Rose, NY 14516.
Beagle Lovers And Rescuers is the only nonprofit maintaining a presence outside Marshall BioResources — to document, protest, and demand change. Please DONATE to help. It’s tax deductible and helps bring us closer to freeing the animals trapped inside.