The Food and Drug Administration quietly closed its Arkansas lab that tested drugs on monkeys.
Its National Center for Toxicological Research lab was testing addiction in monkeys on nicotine, amphetamine, ketamine, and Ritalin. In 2018, it retired some of the surviving monkeys to a sanctuary for the first time in the agency's history, yet it continued testing other monkeys.
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In an email confirmed by the White Coat Waste Project and publicized Wednesday, the FDA is no longer using primate test subjects at the NCTR. The White Coat Waste Project estimated the cost of testing these monkeys was $5.5 million in tax funds.
“NCTR does not currently have an [non-human primate program," the email read. "It was retired in December 2022.”
The White Coat Waste Project uncovered the experiments through various Freedom of Information Act requests. It estimated over 200 monkeys were involved in the testing every year.
"Painful testing on primates has no place in the 21st century when superior alternatives are available, and I am thrilled that following my years of advocacy with the White Coat Waste Project the FDA has finally shut down all of its primate experiments at the National Center for Toxicological Research," Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) said in a statement. "I will continue to lead bipartisan efforts in Washington to stop the abuse of primates and other animals in outdated, expensive and unnecessary government experiments."
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The Animal Welfare Act issues certain protections for test subjects, including dogs, cats, nonhuman primates, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, horses used for research purposes, and other warm-blooded animals. Meanwhile, invertebrate birds, specific rats, specific mice, livestock, poultry, fish, and reptiles are not covered.
There are approximately 20 government agencies that participate in animal testing. One example is the National Institutes of Health, which, in the 10 years prior to 2021, had about $2.2 billion in contracts or grants to foreign organizations for research projects involving animals.