Today I visited LabCorp in Huntingdon.
It was a difficult visit and, to be honest and open, not one I have been looking forward to, but I believe that as the local MP it is critical that I have a full understanding of all aspects of the constituency and given the emotive and highly-charged issues arising around the topic of animal-testing it is one that offered a crucial opportunity to put local concerns to senior leaders there.
As the third biggest pharmaceutical company in the UK it is a significant benefit to our local economy to have LabCorp based here. We discussed a number of issues including their award-winning apprenticeships programme and the prospect of attending my Huntingdon Jobs Fair early next year; I have long-maintained that good local jobs are vital to Huntingdon’s future.
We also discussed local issues such as a lack of grid space which potentially restricts the amount of power available to the site and also access to public transport, with a bus service possibly needed for the site, an issue I will look to factor in to my ongoing discussions with the Combined Authority Mayor.
As part of the visit today I also undertook a tour of the animal facilities; minipigs, dogs and primates. I freely admit that it was something I found difficult. As a dog owner myself it is hard to see dogs whose lives will end in the process of drug development, even if it is an international regulatory obligation. For example, without them we wouldn’t have had a vaccine for Coronavirus.
I was fortunate enough to have a frank discussion with LabCorp’s senior leadership about the pathway to progression towards Non-Animal Methods, in order to reduce and eventually phase-out pre-clinical animal testing. We also discussed how there may be an opportunity to be more open regarding how the trial process works and why animals are required at all, dispelling some of the myths around what takes place and making clear how the stringent standards that govern the process are adhered to.
I do not support animal testing and made that position clear.
However, without a viable non-animal alternative across all testing we cannot transition away from their current use.
I know that LabCorp are committed to working towards the wider roll-out of non-animal methods, but in order to realise this it will need to be driven by Government and the Regulator in order to define an internationally harmonised framework. This cannot be achieved by LabCorp in isolation.
As such, having pledged in their manifesto to work towards phasing out animal testing, this week I will write to the Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, Lord Vallance, to clarify what steps the Government is taking to fulfil this pledge. It will take significant funding to deliver and I hope that the Government will be willing to commit investment in their own manifesto pledge.
My thanks to the team at LabCorp for a highly informative and candid discussion this afternoon and I look forward to supporting their efforts in pursuing non-animal methods in order to provide better clinical outcomes and the phase-out of animal test subjects.
