Animal Welfare
Baxter supports the conscientious use of animals in research only when no other valid scientific alternative exists. In many cases Baxter is legally required by health authorities worldwide to use animals in the development and testing process. Accordingly, the substantial majority of Baxter animal testing relates to regulatory and quality compliance, with the remainder primarily related to basic science and research.
When animals are used, Baxter is committed to treating them humanely and with the highest standards of care. Baxter is also committed to minimizing the use of animals in its research, development and testing programs as evidenced by policies and procedures in place to replace, reduce and refine (“3Rs”) the use of animal testing.
Baxter's animal facilities and programs meet all local, national and transnational laws and regulations (as verified by regular inspections by those authorities/agencies), and operate in accordance with relevant international guidelines, including:
- U.S. Animal Welfare Act Standards;
- Health Research Extension Act (based on The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals);
- Directive 86/609/EEC, Council Animal Protection Directive; and
- CIOMS (WHO), International Guiding Principles for Biomedical Research Involving Animals.
Licensed, certified and accredited veterinary professionals operate the company's animal facilities, which are overseen by animal use and care committees or local authorities, and are required to include at least one representative unaffiliated with Baxter. These teams oversee animal care and welfare, and review and approve research and testing protocols to guarantee that the information derived is essential and to ensure minimal pain and distress to animals used.
All animals used by Baxter are purpose bred for research and only from sources that Baxter’s veterinary professionals carefully select and regularly monitor. Contract research organizations Baxter uses to assess the safety of its medical products must follow similar animal care and welfare standards, and are reviewed as part of Baxter’s overall quality and regulatory compliance program.
Consistent with its Bioethics Position Statement, Baxter is committed to using and developing alternative protocols, methodologies and models that may eliminate the use or reduce the number of animals required for research and testing, and in fact the company has introduced a number of successful innovations in this area over the years. In the United States, Baxter is working with the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, an external standards-setting organization with a mission to look for alternatives to animal testing.
At Baxter’s annual shareholder meeting in May 2009, shareholders voted against a shareholder resolution primarily related to expanded disclosure regarding the use of animals in research. For the full text of the proposal and Baxter’s response, see pages 39-41 of Baxter’s 2009 proxy statement.
