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For many years, necessity has been the determining factor in the use of animal studies for R&D at PMI. We agree that research is not necessary to investigate the already established fact that cigarettes cause serious diseases – and we do not conduct such research.
We conduct animal research to better understand how tobacco products cause disease in humans. This information is crucial in developing and testing reduced harm tobacco products. Working to develop products that reduce the risk of tobacco related disease is important to public health and is one of our top priorities. If we could do this without animal studies, we would. At present, we can’t.
That’s because in spite of the overwhelming evidence that smoking causes serious diseases in smokers, there is still little understanding of the specific mechanisms by which smoking causes these diseases.
To understand these mechanisms, we and the scientific community conduct research across a broad spectrum of areas including laboratory studies that are both in vitro (in a test tube), in vivo (in living animals) such as inhalation studies, and clinical studies (studies involving humans).
As the scientific community has stated, each of these three areas are fundamental to understanding the mechanisms of smoking-related diseases and are an integral part of developing, testing and assessing less harmful tobacco products. The majority of our research using laboratory animals is focused on obtaining information which can help us in the development and validation of reduced risk tobacco products.
Where we do animal studies, we restrict our use of animal research in our laboratories to rodents and only to those occasions where there is no viable alternative. We constantly review our requirements for animal studies, and we are actively seeking alternatives. We hope that in time we will be able to replace much or all animal testing through other means. Until then, however, data from animal testing will remain necessary to help us achieve the important goal of developing less harmful tobacco products.
We follow the widely-recognized principles known as the "3Rs" of animal research: Replace, Reduce, and Refine.
Replace – Whenever possible, we use existing advanced technologies and methods to replace animal studies:
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Advanced computer modeling technologies (e.g. predictive in silico modeling and simulation); and |
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In vitro biological systems. |
And, we are active in developing and verifying new state of the art tools and techniques, such as in vitro systems that assess inflammation and effects of aerosols on the lungs and cardiovascular system.
Reduce – We use the absolute minimum number of animals needed to obtain valid results:
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Investigators carefully analyze which animals are most effective for each study, and calculate the minimum number required to obtain the necessary data; and
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PMI’s Animal Welfare Committee reviews all proposed animal studies to evaluate whether our scientists can achieve the study objectives through other means. |
Refine – We use less invasive procedures to minimize pain and distress:
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We use bioimaging technologies to study organ function in a non-invasive way (e.g. ultrasound imaging); and |
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Our laboratory technicians and veterinary specialists are trained in the latest techniques to manage and care for the animals in the best possible way.
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Responsible and accountable
All of our activities are performed in accordance with applicable laws and regulations as well as internationally established best practices in laboratory animal care to ensure that the animals are treated humanely and responsibly.
This includes compliance with the Belgian Animal Welfare Law, the European Union Directive on Animal Experiments and the USDA Animal Welfare Regulations. Our laboratories have also undergone voluntary accreditation the Association for the Assessment and Accreditation for Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC). When we collaborate with external partners and research agencies or fund research, we require our partners to abide by appropriate animal welfare standards.
We will continue to seek ways to use alternatives to animal testing where possible. When there are no alternatives, we require that any research we conduct or fund be done a manner that humanely and responsibly uses laboratory animals to advance scientific knowledge for the purposes of reducing diseases caused by tobacco use.
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