Are Federal agencies that use toxicity data required to support the development of alternative test methods?
Yes. The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Revitalization Act of 19931 directed NIH to support research to reduce, refine, and replace animal use in biomedical research, and to develop and validate methods that will reduce and replace animals in acute and chronic safety testing. The ICCVAM Authorization Act of 20002, created the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM) as a permanent interagency committee to facilitate alternative test method development, validation, and regulatory acceptance. . Federal agencies view the reduction, refinement and replacement of animal use in toxicity testing as a priority. Both the U.S. National Toxicology Program’s (NTP) Roadmap for the 21st Century and the National Research Council’s Vision and Strategy of Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century emphasize the goal of ensuring that new and improved test methods reduce, refine, or replace the use of animals where scientifically feasible. 1. Public Law 103
