Panic, Terror, and Near Drowning: Ban the Forced Swim Test
Pharma giant Novartis supports the cruel and worthless forced swim test. In this experiment, mice and rats are placed in inescapable containers filled with water. The panicked animals try to escape by attempting to climb up the sides of the container or even diving underwater in search of an exit. They paddle furiously, desperately trying to keep their heads above water. Please tell pharmaceutical giant Novartis to ban this irrelevant experiment.
Outdated and Pointless Experiment
The forced swim test was concocted in 1977 by an experimenter named Roger Porsolt, who called it the “behavioural despair test.” He found that rats who’d been given human antidepressant drugs would struggle and swim for longer than other rats before starting to float, and he concluded that those who swam for less time were in a state of “despair.” But the test has been heavily criticised by many expert scientists who argue that floating is not a sign of despair but rather a positive sign of learning, conserving energy, and adapting to a new environment.
1,400 Animals Tormented
Novartis has subjected more than 1,400 animals to the cruel forced swim test – as documented in 14 published papers over the past 22 years. PETA scientists identified 6 compounds that had been tested on the animals and found that none of them had even made it to human clinical trials and not one is currently approved to treat human depression.
The test is not required to develop new drugs and has even been discouraged by regulatory scientists.
Unreliable Results
The forced swim test doesn’t accurately predict whether a drug will work as a human antidepressant. It yields positive results for compounds that aren’t prescribed as human antidepressants, such as caffeine, and negative results for compounds that are. Importantly, antidepressant compounds that might work in humans may be abandoned.
Big Pharma and Leading Institutions Drop the Cruel Test
At least 18 companies, including many of the world’s top pharmaceutical companies – Johnson & Johnson, Melior Discovery, Creative Biolabs, Sanofi, Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline, AbbVie Inc., Roche, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk A/S, Boehringer Ingelheim, Pfizer, Amgen, and Bristol Myers Squibb – have said they will not conduct or permit forced swim test experiments in the future.
In addition:
- Scientists and regulators from the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency published a paper concluding that the forced swim test could not predict the efficacy of potential new antidepressant drugs and discouraged applicants from submitting forced swim test data in their regulatory applications.
- The UK Home Office has placed restrictions on how the forced swim test can be used and has set its intention to completely eliminate the use of the test in the UK.
- The US Food and Drug Administration doesn’t require the test.
- The forced swim test is now illegal in New South Wales, Australia, and the country’s leading funders have placed restrictions on its use in funded projects.
- Regulators in the European Union and government officials in New Zealand have also criticised the test.
The bottom line: The forced swim test is bad science. These experiments do nothing more than terrify animals and delay the development of new, effective treatments that are so desperately needed.
Take Action Now!
Please tell pharmaceutical giant Novartis to ban this cruel and worthless test.
Putting your subject line and letter into your own words will help draw attention to your e-mail, but feel free to use the template below.
You can email one or both of these contacts (please be polite):
- Johan Kahlström, Country President, Novartis UK: [email protected]
- Rob Thomas, Head of Public Affairs, Novartis UK: [email protected]
Email Template
Dear Mr Kahlström,
I was shocked to learn that Novartis still supports the forced swim experiment for testing potential antidepressant drugs.
This cruel test involves placing animals in an inescapable container of water and forcing them to swim. The panicked animals try to escape by attempting to climb the steep sides of the beaker and diving underwater to look for an escape route. They paddle furiously until they eventually float.
The forced swim test is mired in scientific controversy and is not recommended or required by regulators. Importantly, your company’s use of the test hasn’t helped you produce any new, approved antidepressant treatments for humans.
I urge you to ban it immediately.
Sincerely,
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