Unreliable

Animal testing should not be used because it is an unreliable way to test effects. Many drugs that have been tested on animals have been taken off the market because of effects not seen while testing on animals. A drug called Ophren was cleared for sale because there were no severe effects seen on the animals it was tested on, but was soon pulled off the market because it caused death for 61 people and serious side effects for millions of others (Paws 7). There are many other drugs that have been pulled off of the market for the same reason, such as Flosint, an arthritis medication that was fatal to humans, and Zelmid, an antidepressent that caused severe nurological problems. (Paws 7)These tests failed because animals and humans are different from humans in many ways. Dogs have different circulatory systems and cats lack an enzyme that makes it possible for them to digest ibuprofin. (Paws 11) At Carnegie Mellon University, researchers found that the same drug has the same effects on rats and mice about 30% of the time. "The only true scientific model for a rat is another rat. Likewise, the only true scientific model for a human is another human." (Paws 12) Animal testing is not reliable, because of the many differences between rats and humans.