Research involving animals has led to major medical advances and will continue to be an important part of further discoveries until viable non-animal alternatives are developed and accepted. Guided by our Global Animal Welfare Councils, J&J is committed to the 3Rs principles for the ethical treatment of animals involved in biomedical research—replacing, reducing and refining the study of animals whenever possible. Our scientists actively identify and incorporate 3Rs practices into our processes and work with regulatory bodies, to gain acceptance of appropriate non-animal alternatives in our drug development submissions. Policies & Positions: Animal Welfare Policy
We recognize our teams’ achievements in our annual 3Rs awards program. In 2023, the winning innovation advanced the use of a non-animal assay to replace a gold standard animal-based assay that verified effectiveness of administered treatments in global clinical trials.
We engage widely to inform, share and work toward improving public policy on animal research. For example, in 2023, experts from J&J’s Innovative Medicine’s Beerse site in Belgium participated in roundtable discussions initiated by the Flemish government to develop actions to reduce the study of animals.
