LETTER: Acomplia drug withdrawal shows pointlessness of animal testing

Dear Editor - Just four years ago, Acomplia was hailed in the national press as a wonder slimming pill.
Now, it has been withdrawn by the authorities because of a high risk of serious psychiatric disorders leading, in some cases, to suicide.
This catastrophe, once again, underlines the pointlessness of animal tests during drug development.
Acomplia was passed as safe on the basis of those tests even though the physiology and mental make-up of rats and dogs is completely different from people’s.
But even if rats did suffer Acomplia-induced anxiety, depression, and suicidal feelings, how would the lab researchers know?
Animal Aid has just published a major thoroughly-referenced critique of the drug industry, which includes an exposé of the scientifically fraudulent use of animals and the industry’s sharp practice during the trialling and marketing of drugs.
It is available free on request.
Kate Fowler-Reeves
Animal Aid
The Old Chapel
Bradford Street
Tonbridge
Kent
TN9 1AW

LETTER: Think about animals before buying 'pink' in breast cancer awareness month

Dear Editor - Anybody who has picked up a magazine or walked through a shop recently, knows that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
It is hard to miss the displays of pink products that benefit breast cancer charities.
But before you buy, ask yourself if your donation will really help women in relevant ways, or will you simply be funding the same useless animal experiments that have been going on for decades?
The basic model of cancer research has not changed much since the 1970s: Grow cancer cells in a laboratory, inject them into mice, attack the resulting tumours with the experimental drug du jour and see what happens.
But there is a world of difference between humans and animals in their metabolism, biochemistry, physiology, and genetic make-up, so the results seen in mice cannot be reliably applied to people.
Meanwhile, as we spend millions of pounds to cure cancer in mice, we are missing opportunities that could help real women in the real world - such as making breast cancer treatment more accessible and educating people about the role that diet plays in cancer prevention.
Sadly, new technologies that could truly benefit patients - like the three-dimensional model of human breast cancer recently developed by British scientists, made by growing cells from normal and cancerous breast tissue - remain the exception.
This October, we do not need more pink ribbons or pink T-shirts - or mice with breast cancer.
We need a commitment to funding programmes that will result in true medical progress, including better patient services, education, and vital research that does not rely on outdated animal models.
Toni Vernelli
Animal Aid
Bradford St
Tonbridge, Kent
TN9 1AW