To protect the welfare of animals, ECHA has started requesting additional information from registrants who submit new testing proposals for vertebrate animal tests as an approach to ensure that testing on animals is only done as a last resort.

According to the news released by ECHA on November 2, ECHA has sent the first requests to registrants asking them to inform ECHA of their considerations of alternative methods to support their testing proposals involving vertebrate animals. This affects testing proposals made since 11 September 2015.

ECHA will publish the information received concerning considerations of alternative methods together with the testing proposals on ECHA’s testing proposals consultation web page. In this way, third parties can get access to such information and consider more comprehensively when deciding whether to submit relevant information about the substance from alternative methods that may avoid the test. More information will be taken into consideration by registrants in ways to fulfill the REACH information requirements.

The news cites what ECHA’s Executive Director Geert Dancet says: “ECHA is committed to avoiding any unnecessary testing on animals while ensuring the safe use of chemicals. This new information request to registrants proposing a vertebrate animal test is one of the steps ECHA promised to take in response to the Ombudsman’s proposed solution. Human health, safe environment and innovation are the main goals of the REACH Regulation but in ECHA’s view, any unnecessary testing on vertebrate animals needs to be avoided whenever it is scientifically justified.”

ECHA aims to enable companies to show their considerations in registration dossiers following the next update of the IUCLID tool in 2016. In the meantime, registrants will be contacted through REACH-IT.

Source: ECHA