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Use of animals in research

Animal research plays an invaluable and legally mandated part in developing medicines. It is essential - and a legal obligation – for researchers to ensure that promising new medicines are tested for safety and efficacy (i.e. having the intended effects) as far as possible before they are tested in humans.

Animal research has played a vital part in nearly every medical breakthrough over the last decade. Thanks to animal research, primarily in mice, modern vaccines can be developed, and cancer survival rates have continued to rise. Every medicine available in the UK has at one time been tested on animals to ensure that it is safe to give to human volunteers in clinical trials. 

The UK’s standards rank among the highest in the world for the welfare of animals used in research, including a commitment to the 3Rs – the reduction, replacement and refinement of animals used in research. BIA supports these principles, and the NC3Rs, and supports the phasing in of non-animal methods. While non-animal methods, such as organs on a chip, cell cultures, and computer models, play an important part in biomedical research, they cannot replace all use of animals.  

The BIA is a signatory of the Concordat on Openness on the Use of Animals in Research, an agreement supported by a range of organisations – including universities, companies, research funders and umbrella organisations – to commit to being open about the use of animals in research in the UK. The Concordat helps the research community to communicate the benefits, limitations and nature of animal research to ensure the public has the information they need to develop informed views on this topic. 

The BIA is also part of the UK Bioscience Sector Coalition (UKBSC), and Understanding Animal Research (UAR). Alongside and through these groups, BIA engages closely with the Home Office Animals in Science Regulation (Policy) Unit (ASRU). 

Statistics about animals in research

In the latest 2023 statistics, 2,68 million scientific procedures involving living animals were carried out in Great Britain. This is a decrease of 3% from 2022, and the lowest number since 2001.  

2023 Experimental procedures by species

Source: Home Office - gov.uk

For more information, please see the full report Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2023. 


Further information about animals in research 

Animal experiments in the UK are regulated by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). For more information on ASPA and the regulation of animal testing in the UK, see UK animal research regulation.   

For further information about the use of animals in research, UK regulatory obligations, and activities to reduce, refine, and replace animal research, please see the following resources: