MeSci
ME/CFS since 1995; activity level 6?
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This is an action for UK citizens only - to ask their MPs to vote in favour of this Early Day Motion (EDM). It is very important for animal research results to be published, as it is for clinical research, if we are to make decisions on whether animal research really benefits humans. My own paid and unpaid work and research indicate strongly that it doesn't, and there are many scientifically-knowledgeable people who have come to the same conclusion, as several of my blogposts show. People cite examples of when animal findings have corresponded with human findings, but there are many more examples of when they don't, resulting in scientists going down blind alleys, adverse effects in human patients, and trials and treatments having to be abandoned.
Early day motion 118
PUBLICATION OF ANIMAL EXPERIMENT RESULTS
Session: 2015-16
Date tabled: 10.06.2015
Primary sponsor: Dowd, Jim
Sponsors:
Hopkins, Kelvin Weir, Mike Day, Martyn Lucas, Caroline
That this House welcomes the requirement that all clinical trial results should be published; and calls on the Home Office to require and facilitate a similar arrangement for animal experiments, subject to the normal safeguards of commercial and academic confidentiality and safety, to enable researchers to avoid duplication and allow public discussion of the merits of the research.
http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2015-16/118
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This is a very important and exciting initiative, and could really move the debate on whether animal research really advances our knowledge of human conditions and treatments for them, beyond the issue of ethics, dangers from animal rights extremists, etc.
MPs who do not want to sign may give excuses such as fear of extremism, cost, lack of precedent in other countries, etc. But these can be countered by pointing out that
Early day motion 118
PUBLICATION OF ANIMAL EXPERIMENT RESULTS
Session: 2015-16
Date tabled: 10.06.2015
Primary sponsor: Dowd, Jim
Sponsors:
Hopkins, Kelvin Weir, Mike Day, Martyn Lucas, Caroline
That this House welcomes the requirement that all clinical trial results should be published; and calls on the Home Office to require and facilitate a similar arrangement for animal experiments, subject to the normal safeguards of commercial and academic confidentiality and safety, to enable researchers to avoid duplication and allow public discussion of the merits of the research.
http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2015-16/118
....................................................................................................
This is a very important and exciting initiative, and could really move the debate on whether animal research really advances our knowledge of human conditions and treatments for them, beyond the issue of ethics, dangers from animal rights extremists, etc.
MPs who do not want to sign may give excuses such as fear of extremism, cost, lack of precedent in other countries, etc. But these can be countered by pointing out that
- any info that could identify researchers or institutions can be redacted.
- if analysis of the data shows that animal research actually slows medical progress by producing misleading results, cessation of such research can in fact produce cost benefits.
- lack of precedent should not override logic or science - the important thing is to do what advances knowledge and speeds progress towards safe, effective treatments.