EARA has responded to false claims by an activist group that animal studies have ‘a lack of relevance’ in cancer research.

On the recent Breast Cancer Awareness Day, the animal rights organisation, Eurogroup For Animals, posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) that ‘Clinical trials in oncology rarely result in effective treatments due to the lack of relevance of some research carried out on animals’.

First to react was the German advocacy group Tierversuche verstehen (TVV), which responded to the Eurogroup post by saying: “This is pure, ideology-driven misinformation. This is repeating ‘alternative facts’ until they are widely believed.”

TVV referenced the development of PARP inhibitor drugs, thanks to research in mice, as one clear example of how animal research has saved numerous lives.

In its response EARA posted further information to rebut the claims of Eurogroup and added: “Without this research and testing, cancer patients would be denied drugs and therapies. Attempting to block animal use only serves to slow down the development of life-saving treatments.”

EARA added in another post: “Eurogroup suggests that non-animal methods (NAMs) can now replace animals in cancer research, which is far from the truth.

“Although NAMs are helping to complement findings from animal research in selected areas of cancer research, there are still many aspects of the human body and disease that organoids and stem cells can’t capture.”

In fact, all major treatments for breast cancer – including the breakthrough drug, Herceptin, that has contributed significantly to reductions in deaths in patients – have only been developed because of studies and tests in animals. Read more about the need for animals in cancer research in this EARA feature.