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The Issue
GE Healthcare recognises that the use of animals in medical research
to advance scientific understanding and progress innovation is controversial.
However, we believe that the challenges and burdens faced from diseases
such as cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease,
heart failure and stroke, justify the carefully considered use of
animals when no other scientific methods are available. This Position
Statement sets out our views on animal testing for medical purposes
and builds upon the public position held by Amersham plc until its
acquisition by GE in April 2004 and subsequent incorporation within
GE Healthcare.
Background
GE Healthcare is about visualising life at all levels within the
human body - from the molecules and biochemicals that make our genetic
structure, to cells, tissues and organs. GE Healthcare has two business
divisions, GE Healthcare Technologies and GE Healthcare Biosciences.
Both are involved in the use of animals in testing medical products
though predominantly in the Medical Diagnostics and Discovery Systems
units of GE Healthcare Biosciences.
Medical Diagnostics
This part of GE Healthcare Biosciences is the leading global pharmaceutical
provider of diagnostic and predictive imaging products and services.
It is dedicated to providing healthcare professionals with products
that expand and improve their diagnostic capabilities and contribute
to the treatment of disease and to finding innovative diagnostic
and therapeutic solutions with a focus on cardiology, neurology
and cancer.
Medical diagnostic products are used to understand and treat major
diseases using x-ray, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance
(MRI), ultrasound and functional imaging. Contrast and radiopharmaceutical
imaging products are, in general, injected into the bloodstream
to enhance images taken of the structure or function of body organs
and tissues. These enhanced images enable physicians to more accurately
detect, diagnose and treat diseases of the heart, lung, brain and
functional abnormalities. In addition, the business markets products
that are used to treat localised tumours such as prostate cancer,
or to treat pain from cancer that has spread to bones.
Discovery Systems and Protein Separations
These units of our business are involved in developing and providing
integrated systems and solutions for disease research and drug discovery,
development and manufacture. Our technology platforms enable the
drug discovery, development and manufacturing process, from understanding
the function of genes and proteins that may be responsible for disease
to screening possible drug candidates and developing them in clinical
trials, to manufacturing biopharmaceuticals such as insulin.
| GE Healthcare Position
- GE Healthcare is a world leader in medical diagnostics
and in life sciences, delivering pharmaceutical products
for the diagnosis and treatment of disease and technologies
for life science research and drug discovery, development
and manufacture. GE Healthcare uses animals in its research
and product testing only when absolutely necessary. The
efficacy and safety of our products and their use in humans
is our highest priority.
- Health regulatory authorities across the world set stringent
guidelines for evaluation of new pharmaceutical compounds.
These require that all prescription medicines intended for
use in humans must be shown to be safe, effective and of
the highest quality before being made available to doctors
to treat patients.
- At present it is not possible to determine the safety
of a product, or meet the legal requirements of health regulatory
authorities around the world, without animal studies.
- All studies involving animals must comply with local laws
and regulations including appropriate licensing requirements.
Studies must also be scientifically and ethically justifiable.
- GE Healthcare is committed to using alternative non-animal
studies wherever possible. Animals are only used where no
suitable alternative is available and the business subscribes
to the “Three Rs Principle” where the use of
animals in medical testing is to Reduced, Refined and Replaced.
- All studies are scrutinised and approved prior to initiation
to ensure they are designed to minimise the numbers of animals
and to avoid or minimise discomfort and levels of stress.
- As part of its life sciences business GE Healthcare, has
developed a number of products and technologies which help
reduce the number of animals used in research. These include
gene chips developed for toxicology studies and the IN Cell
Analyzer for studying the impact of new drugs in living
cells in real-time.
- Questions and answers on GE Healthcare's involvement with
animal testing are attached
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Further information sources
For more information relating to the use of animals in medical
research visit the Research Defence Society web page at: www.rds-online.org.uk/faqquest.html
Or contact Animals in Medical Research Information Centre, 12 Whitehall,
London, SW1A 2DY, for a wide range of information on this subject
Questions and Answers on GE Healthcare's Use of Animals
Does GE Healthcare use animals in
pharmaceutical research and development?
Yes. GE Healthcare, like other healthcare companies, must ensure
the safety, quality and efficacy of its products used in humans.
To achieve this currently requires the use of animals that are also
used in some of our research work to help develop new products and
technologies. At all times the company's use of animals in medical
research adheres to the highest standards of husbandry and ethical
treatment. We adhere to the guiding principles of reduce, refine
and replace through which animal research is confined to an absolute
minimum and wherever possible we will utilise methods that do not
require the use of animals.
Where does GE Healthcare stand on
the issue of animal research?
GE Healthcare is a world leader in medical diagnostics and in life
sciences, delivering pharmaceutical products for the diagnosis and
treatment of disease and technologies for life science research
and drug discovery, development and manufacture. In all areas where
we have made discoveries in medical diagnostics the use of animals
has played a crucial role. Recent developments in genetics, molecular
biology and advanced computing are providing compelling opportunities
for the area of medical diagnostics. We expect that today’s
research will materialise in future medical diagnostic solutions
that will benefit both healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.
These future objectives will be dependent on the continuation of
research work involving the considered use of animals.
Is there really no alternative to testing on
animals?
Although work continues into the use of ‘in vitro’ methods
and some ‘in silico’ methods, these are not yet able
to reproduce the complexity of the ‘in vivo’ or whole
animal model. Alternative methods are important tools used to refine
and support studies that require testing on animals. However, the
use of animals still remains essential in bridging the gap between
the discovery of safe effective healthcare products and the conquering
of disease.
What is GE Healthcare’s attitude to the
many animal welfare organisations?
GE Healthcare supports legitimate animal welfare concerns and
the law-abiding organisations that represent them. However, we condemn
organisations whose pursuit of animal rights involves harassment
of people, damage to property and other acts of aggression. GE Healthcare
believes that it is the role of Government to derive and enforce
appropriate legislation to control the use of animals in medical
research and that all advocacy groups seeking to influence that
legislation should use the democratic process in their endeavours.
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| Environment & Social Report
2002 |
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