Toxicology testing
The world’s first toxicology-testing strategy without animal testing has been approved by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; Paris, France; www.oecd.org). The testing strategy consists of three so-called alternative methods. They can be used to predict whether a substance causes allergic reactions in the skin. Unlike in the past, animal testing will no longer be necessary for this.
This testing strategy was developed and validated in a joint effort by BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) and Givaudan (Vernier, Switzerland; www.givaudan.com). “For more than 10 years, we have been working towards this goal,” says Robert Landsiedel, vice president, Special Toxicology, BASF. “We have taken a big step forward. Now we can also use alternative methods to answer more complex toxicological questions without animal testing.” Andreas Natsch, head of in vitro Molecular Screening at Givaudan adds: “This strategy has a better predictivity for human allergy risks as compared to traditional animal testing.”