FDA Quietly Pulls Plug on Animal Testing, What They’re Replacing It With…

The Food and Drug Administration under President Donald Trump is taking concrete steps to end or significantly reduce inhumane animal testing practices involving beagles, chimpanzees, and other animals.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary announced that all beagles previously housed by the agency have been removed from custody, leaving the agency’s kennels empty.

Makary highlighted that scientists have long favored beagles for testing due to their docile nature, but those days are ending as the agency modernizes.

The FDA has released draft guidance encouraging drug developers to adopt new approach methodologies (NAMs)—such as computational modeling, organ-on-a-chip technology, and human-relevant cell-based systems—instead of relying on traditional animal studies.

This shift aligns with the broader “Make America Healthy Again” initiative and builds on the bipartisan FDA Modernization Act 2.0, which removed the decades-old mandate requiring animal testing for drug approvals.

Makary stated that these new technologies are better, cheaper, safer, and more humane, noting, “I don’t believe God made these animals for us to subjugate and torture.”

For monoclonal antibodies—a major class of drugs used to treat cancers, autoimmune diseases, and other conditions—the FDA no longer requires submission of data from chimpanzee or extensive primate testing.

Previously, some drug development processes used an average of 144 monkeys or chimpanzees per compound in preclinical safety studies; that requirement is now being phased out or eliminated for many products.

The agency is implementing a roadmap to reduce animal testing across different classes of medications, with measurable progress already reported.

This policy change follows earlier actions, including the NIH closing its last beagle laboratory on campus and prioritizing human-based research technologies.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also been directed to phase out all monkey research, consistent with the administration’s emphasis on alternatives.

The Environmental Protection Agency under the Trump administration previously set a goal to end mammal testing by 2035 and has continued advancing non-animal methods.

Supporters, including conservative voices and animal welfare advocates, hail the move as a commonsense reform that spares docile animals like beagles from unnecessary suffering while accelerating drug development.

FDA officials emphasize that the new methods can better detect human-specific toxicities that animal models sometimes miss, potentially improving patient safety.

The changes are expected to lower research and development costs, which could help reduce drug prices for Americans.

Critics from some biomedical research circles argue that complete elimination of animal testing could slow progress on certain complex diseases, though the FDA maintains that alternatives will maintain or enhance safety standards.

Animal rights groups have praised the Trump administration’s actions, noting the historic shift away from outdated practices developed more than half a century ago.

The FDA’s draft guidance provides clear pathways for companies to submit applications using non-animal data, with potential for faster regulatory review.

This initiative reflects a broader paradigm shift across federal health agencies toward 21st-century science grounded in human biology, AI, and advanced biotech tools.

While not every form of animal research has ended overnight, the administration has canceled millions in grants for certain animal studies and is actively relocating animals from federal facilities.

Beagle Freedom Project and similar organizations continue to advocate for full transparency and adoption of rescued lab animals, though some transparency rules around lab records have drawn separate criticism.

Overall, the Trump FDA’s reforms represent one of the most significant reductions in federal animal testing in decades.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has supported these efforts, emphasizing the need for more effective, humane approaches to drug evaluation.