Every year, hundreds of millions of animals are used in the service of biomedical research, despite the risk of extreme cruelty to these animal subjects. The expansion of the pharmaceutical industry and university research funding rapidly normalized its practice. Why do we use animals, though? Is it successful? And most importantly, Is it ethical?
The extensive use of animals in biomedical research is facing growing criticism due to the extreme cruelty involved as well as the high failure rate of drugs developed using animal models. On Animal Concerns of Texas, Liz and Tom talk with Dr. Richard Joel Miller, Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and author of the book “The Rise and Fall of Animal Experimentation: Empathy, Science and the Future of Research” about the historic use of animals for scientific experimentation and the future end of the practice.
Originally aired on July 14, 2024
