Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) announced on May 21 that the House Committee on Energy and Commerce has passed the FDA Modernization Act 3.0, a bill aimed at reducing unnecessary animal testing in drug development by directing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to fully implement prior reforms.
The passage of this bill is significant as it seeks to phase out animal testing in favor of advanced, non-animal methods for evaluating medicines. Millions of animals, including about 50,000 dogs annually, are used in laboratory experiments in the United States. The legislation builds upon previous efforts to modernize drug development while promoting humane alternatives for animals traditionally used in labs.
“The advancement of the FDA Modernization Act 3.0 out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee marks another major step toward a more modern, effective, and humane system for evaluating medicines,” said Rep. Carter. “Congress already acted in 2022 to remove unnecessary barriers to innovative non-animal testing methods, and this bill helps ensure FDA implementation fully reflects both the law and today’s scientific capabilities.”
Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) said, “The FDA Modernization Act 2.0 was a monumental victory that helped modernize drug development and accelerate innovation without having to sacrifice animal welfare… With FDA Modernization 3.0 now advancing out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Congress is taking the next step to build upon this success and ensure the FDA follows through on delivering speedier cures for diseases without subjecting animals to inhumane and counterproductive experiments.”
Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) added: “Today’s full committee passage is another important step toward modernizing how we bring safe and effective drugs to market… The FDA has the authority to move beyond outdated, cruel testing methods, and our bill simply directs the FDA to follow through and update its regulations accordingly.”
Wayne Pacelle, President of Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action said: “We so appreciate Buddy Carter’s leadership on this legislation to accelerate the process of winding down the use of beagles, primates, and other animals in painful, invasive, and ineffective tests… Congress and the FDA are signaling to all drug developers that they should move with intentionality to employ human-biology-based drug screening methods…”
Carter is currently serving as U.S Representative from Georgia’s 1st district after replacing Jack Kingston in 2015; he has won several general elections since then according to Wikipedia.
