Improving animal welfare
Discovering and developing new drugs depend on the use of experimental animals to secure effectiveness and safety. However, by means of a dedicated approach, guided by the principles of the 3 R’s: Reduce, Refine and Replace, Novo Nordisk has managed to bring down the number of animals used for testing by 40% in only 5 years.
Novo Nordisk has worked intensely on improving experimental animal welfare for more than a decade. The objective has been to ensure high ethical and welfare standards for animals, and results have been quite convincing.
“Without compromising safety, we have been able to significantly reduce the number of experimental animals used for research and development. We continue to support and participate in initiatives, which can replace animal experimentation, and we expect that the number of animals continue to decline, thanks to new technologies, which can provide us with the answers we need, without involving animals,” says Lise Holst from Novo Nordisk’s Bioethics Management.
Sharing ideas with stakeholders
In 1999, Novo Nordisk and The Danish Animal Welfare Society entered into a partnership to improve the welfare of experimental animals. The purpose was to develop a common understanding of animal welfare and to identify areas of improvement. The cooperation has among other things led to a series of workshops with internationally recognised experts and at Novo Nordisk discussions have continued in project teams among the employees who are working with the experimental animals.
This has led to a key project focussing on the housing conditions of experimental animals viewed from a new angle, finding ways to meet the natural needs of animals disregarding existing systems and financial or technical considerations. The project considers the welfare of all types of experimental animals from rodents to pigs and dogs. And to the about 50 Beagle dogs at Novo Nordisk’s site in Maaloev, Denmark, which are used for late stage testing of drugs, the improvements have been a great success.
Space and time to be a dog
The project has resulted in the implementation of a new training and socialisation programme for the dogs, and the housing facilities have been totally transformed, leaving much more room for the dog’s natural behavioural patterns. The pens can be flexibly joined to fulfil the dog’s need for social activities and each pen is equipped with toys and a resting area offering the animal peace and quiet when needed. The pens also have an outdoor area, which the dog can access through a hatch and for 1-2 hours each day the dogs can play in a 2.000 sqm outdoor exercise area.
“One very significant result is the noticeable reduction of barking. Dogs bark when they are nervous or feel uncomfortable. In the past five years, barking has been reduced so much that visitors do not notice the noise, they notice the silence. Furthermore, we see a noteworthy decline in conflicts between the dogs and the employees who work with the dogs and have been involved from the beginning, are proud of the improved conditions,” says Lars Friis Mikkelsen, who has been involved in the improvement project as veterinarian in charge.
