Our Responsibility
As a global life science company, we have a great responsibility to our customers and to the animals we use in our research. We take this responsibility into account in a variety of ways: we act in accordance with applicable animal welfare laws and, thanks to our “three Rs” principles, we are always striving to find new ways to reduce the number of animal experiments, refine them or replace them with other methods. The new 3R Award anchors this basic idea in our daily work.
How do we live up to our responsibility?
The so-called “three Rs” - Reduce, Refine, Replace - serve as a guideline for us in research and development at Bayer. This means that we always work towards three goals, namely:
- Reduce the number of animals used in our studies: we use fewer animals per research project, but do not accept any restrictions in terms of drug safety.
- Refine our research methods: our study planning is constantly being improved in order to optimally evaluate the information we derive from our animal experiments.
- Replace animal testing with new methods: We are developing techniques that do not require the use of animals, including experiments on human tissue, cell lines (in vitro) and mathematical and computer models (in silico).
When animal testing cannot be avoided, we plan our experiments with great care. Each study is conducted with the utmost concern for the health and welfare of the animals in our care. The programs, so-called animal experimentation projects, are approved and controlled by the local authorities (e.g. LAVE in NRW, LaGeSo ind Berlin). Experts are always entrusted with all matters relating to animal welfare. In Germany, the animal welfare officer and the animal house manager bear this important responsibility.
Although most animal experiments are required by law, we are constantly developing new technologies to reduce the number of animals used in our studies and improve their welfare.
How do we ensure that Bayer complies with the requirements of laws and regulations?
Everyone who conducts animal experiments must operate within a precisely defined legal framework. We comply with animal welfare laws in all our animal experiments. To ensure this, clear processes and rules are defined within Bayer and regular inspections are carried out by the government authorities. In addition, our animal welfare officers carry out their own inspections to ensure that we remain true to our own principles.
Scientists who carry out animal experiments must comply with many laws. The most important of these is Directive 2010/63 of the European Union (EU). Depending on the country, a number of national animal welfare regulations must also be complied with.
The German Animal Welfare Act is a national implementation of the EU Directive. It is one of the strictest in the world and guarantees animals far-reaching protection. This law stipulates that animal experiments may only be carried out if at least one of the following criteria applies:
- They contribute to the prevention, detection or treatment of diseases in humans or animals.
- They help to identify dangers to the environment.
- They are necessary to check the safety of substances or products.
- They are essential for basic research.