Several animal rights organizations unexpectedly praised the Trump administration after it introduced new policies to reduce animal testing in government research. Recently, both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced steps to end the use of animals in certain scientific tests.
FDA Replaces Animal Testing with Advanced Methods
The FDA revealed plans to stop using animals such as dogs, rats, and fish in tests for specific drug treatments, including monoclonal antibodies used in cancer and autoimmune diseases. Instead, it would focus on using lab-grown organoids, which scientists believe closely resemble human organs and offer more accurate results.
PETA expressed strong support for this decision. The group’s senior vice president, Kathy Guillermo, stated that the FDA had taken an important step toward its promise to find alternatives to animal use. She added that the agency had finally stopped harming animals and had chosen to use testing strategies that are more relevant to humans.
Commissioner Describes a New Direction
FDA Commissioner Martin Makary explained to Fox News that this change marked a major shift in how drugs are tested. He mentioned that the agency would now rely on tools such as AI-based modeling, testing on human organ models, and real-world data from human trials. According to him, this updated approach would allow safer treatments to reach patients more quickly and with greater accuracy.
EPA Chief Commits to Reform
At the same time, EPA chief Lee Zeldin declared his full commitment to revamping the agency’s methods. He emphasized that the EPA was ready to make a fresh start by ending outdated testing practices and supporting more efficient and ethical techniques.
Watchdog and Advocacy Groups Voice Support
Many animal rights organizations shared positive responses to these announcements. The White Coat Waste Project, known for exposing government-funded tests on beagles, thanked the FDA’s leadership. The group acknowledged the commissioner’s long-standing efforts to remove unnecessary animal testing and reduce wasteful federal spending.
Kitty Block, CEO of Humane World for Animals, also welcomed the move. She said animals such as rabbits, dogs, and mice had long suffered during experiments that often failed to produce better science. She believed it was the right time to replace those old methods with modern and humane solutions.
Concerns Remain Over Limitations
However, not everyone agreed with the decision. The National Association for Biomedical Research cautioned that artificial intelligence and simulation models still could not fully replace complex biological systems. The group noted, as reported by Fox News, that no current AI method had proven capable of replicating all aspects of living organisms.
