While awaiting the Lazio Regional Administrative Court's ruling on the permits challenged by Lav, the Mases citizens committee is collecting signatures against the multinational company's experimentation and recognition of the severe suffering of animals. A hearing on the animal mistreatment complaint against Aptuit is scheduled for September 16.
By Rosalba Panzieri
In the heart of Verona, in the laboratories of the multinational Aptuit, thousands of beagles have been and will be subjected to experiments and that raise serious ethical and legal doubts. But mobilization has begun: associations, citizens, and activists are raising their voices to demand justice and an end to practices that harm the dignity and lives of animals.
The charges: unwarranted suffering and regulatory violations
LAV (Anti-Vivisection League) challenged in 2021 the three ministerial authorizations under which Aptuit conducted toxicology and pharmacokinetics studies, pointing out serious criticalities, from the reuse of animals already subjected to suffering, in violation of the principle of non-repetition to the arbitrary classification of suffering as "moderate," despite uncertainty about the effects of the molecules tested. Lav's legal battle began in 2021 and led to the revocation of two of the three permits granted to the multinational company. Aptuit-according to Valeria Albanese head of animal-free research at Lav-" asked for the renewal of authorizations with purposes different from the original ones, without re-evaluation." . The association, which took part in a hearing at the Lazio Regional Administrative Court on June 10, challenged the "legitimacy of permits that provided for the use of thousands of beagle dogs. for extremely invasive experimentation by the Verona-based multinational pharmaceutical research company Aptuit." Valeria Albanese emphasizes not only the cruelty of the demands made, including the isolation of dogs for up to 15 days, when the regulation allows a maximum of 4 hours, but reminds that "these practices not only violate Legislative Decree 26/2014, but also ignore the fundamental principle that the use of dogs in experimentation is allowed only in exceptional and strictly justified cases." Importantly, in cases of suffering defined as "moderate," the animal can be reused several times in experiments, creating a chain of suffering without solution.
Regulated vs. translational research: a distinction that can cost lives
One of the most contentious points in the legal battle concerns the shift from regulated to translational authorizations, without reevaluation. Regulated authorizations, which pertain to the marketing of drugs, respond to EU and GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) directives and involve strict controls. Translational research authorizations, cover preclinical research, the study of biological mechanisms, and respond to less stringent regulations. The change in purpose may result in less controlled use of animals and less stringent classification of suffering, with very serious ethical and legal implications, effectively resulting in an inauspicious fate for the animals themselves.
Science calls for an end to animal testing
That of citizens and associations is not just an ethical battle: it is science itself calling for a change of course . The European Commission and Efpia, the European federation of pharmaceutical industries, have developed a roadmap for the transition to animal-free research, based on innovative, more predictive and less invasive methods. This is because "human health can and must progress without inflicting unnecessary suffering," as Albanese reminds us, "and moving beyond animals used in experimentation is not only an ethical issue but also a scientific one. A clear symptom that it is innovative science that is demanding this transition, not just animal rights activists who in equal measure no longer want to see these atrocities at the expense of sentient beings.
A collection of signatures to save beagles
To oppose the sacrifice of animals and show citizens' orientation toward cruelty-free science, Nicole Moscariello, head of MASES, Movimento Anti Sperimentazione Esseri Senzienti, has launched a petition drive. It should be remembered that as of July 1, the Brambilla law, which officially recognizes animals as sentient beings, is in effect. This momentous change requires a profound revision of the way they are treated, including in laboratories. "The collection of signatures for the salvation of these animals," explains Nicole Moscariello, "is the concrete tool with which, all together, we can make our voices heard. Citizens can and should be given the opportunity to participate in decisions on issues of paramount importance such as these." This new awareness regarding the sentient nature of animals opens up avenues that until yesterday seemed closed and gives voice, dignity and possibilities to those who for too long have been treated as objects. "How can one still agree to inflict pain on animals and determine how much pain they will or will not be able to endure?" - continues Moscariello - "MASES was created precisely to give citizens a voice through collective actions and signature collections against regulations that do not represent popular sentiment and do not even guarantee human health." While waiting for the TAR's decision, you can sign up for the salvation of animals at the link:
https://www.change.org/p/salviamo-1600-beagle-dalla-sperimentazione
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