Pet lovers hail ban

Industries will now only be permitted with ‘non-animal’ testing

Animal lovers have hailed the recent ban on testing of drugs on animals by the Drug Controller of India along the lines of the European Union. India is the first country in South Asia to initiate such a move. Bureau of Indian Standards has also seconded the ban order.

All cosmetics like antiageing creams, lotions for dark circles, coloured eye-liners and hair dyes are first tested on animals to assess how they would affect human skin. Such drugs are tested on guinea pigs, rats and rabbits for skin sensitivity and toxicity, oral and dermal toxicity.

These trials are normally conducted by the Research and Development wings of organised sector.

Under the ban orders, all industries in that sector will now be permitted only ‘non-animal testing and non-invasive’ methods. Which means all these industries will have to spend substantial amount of their budget on purchasing state-of-the-art equipment required for nonanimal testing of drugs.

According to members of the Indian Cosmetics Manufacturers Association, In India, pharmaceutical industries mostly test their drugs on white rats. They, however, aren’t happy with ban order. “Banning testing of cosmetics and drugs on animals alone wouldn’t suffice. The government would also have to suggest viable alternatives because equipment requirement for non animal testing of drugs were quite costly”, said an ICMA member.

The cosmetic industry in India is worth `3,000 crore and is growing by 25 per cent annually.

The demand is huge but often due to very high cost of branded products, 60 per cent of the users prefer low-cost products.

The market for bindis, kumkum, nail polish, lip floss, lipstick, kajal, eyeliners and hair dyes is very high in India. The market share of these products is calculated at `150 crore and is growing by 90 per cent every year. The recent order by Drug Controller of India has got the owners of pharmaceutical companies worried because they will have to spend more on equipment for research.

A researcher says, “The effect on the guinea pig is a direct indication of how it will affect the human. When a test on drugs is conducted through equipment, accuracy is a problem. There are more chances of tests going wrong.”

The drug controller will now have to conduct random checks and also assess the method of certification for the products. When the safety verification would be carried out by them they would have to ensure that the product has been tested and certified.

Banning testing of cosmetics and drugs on animals alone wouldn’t suffice. The government would also have to suggest viable alternatives because equipment requirement for non animal testing of drugs were quite costly — ICMA MEMBER