Comment from Dani Dennenberg

As a healthcare practitioner (board certified acupuncturist) and as someone trained in the specialized field of Humane Education (critical thought on global ethical issues, including the use of animals in experimentation), I was relieved to hear about the FDA’s receptivity to public opinion. It is time to relegate cruel, inhumane, wasteful, redundant and ineffective animal experiments to the dusty pages of history. I support the FDA continuing to expand clear regulatory pathways for scientifically validated alternatives to animal testing during drug development. Human-relevant methods such as human cell-based testing, organ-on-chip technology, epidemiological studies, and computational models have the potential to improve translational relevance while reducing reliance on animal studies when scientifically appropriate. I encourage the FDA to continue modernizing its approach and supporting the responsible evaluation and acceptance of validated New Approach Methodologies (NAMs). I support continued efforts to modernize toxicology and drug testing methods.