Animal Experiments with Animal-Welfare Considerations

Kowa, a company contributing to the healthy lives of people, conducts animal experiments with full consideration for animal welfare, believing that such experiments are indispensable for the new drug discovery and for the progress of life sciences.
In complying with “the Act on Welfare and Management of Animals”, “the Standard for Care and Management of Laboratory Animals and Alleviation of Pain” and “the Basic Policy on Animal Experimentation Performed at the Institutions under the Jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare”, and in the light of the fact that living animals are used, we make every effort to conduct animal experiments properly from a scientific viewpoint, and have established internal regulations and take into consideration the 3Rs^* principles for proper conduct of animal experiments.^**
Our specific commitments include maintaining proper breeding environment for animals and establishing the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) which reviews experimental protocol, inspects and evaluates ongoing experiments, and examines experimental reports. Kowa also provides education and training for all researchers to comply related regulations and guidelines, to deepen their knowledge and skills about animals, and to improve the quality of animal experiments from the viewpoint of animal welfare.
In addition, we hold an annual memorial service for laboratory animals to express our affection and gratitude.
Alternative experimental methods, such as in vitro evaluation models using cultured cells, are effective for reducing the number of laboratory animals, and therefore we proactively introduce these methods in various process of drug discovery.

*3Rs:
Replacement (Methods which avoid or replace the use of animals)
Reduction (Methods which minimize the number of animals used per experiment)
Refinement (Methods which minimize animal suffering and improve welfare)

** Kowa has received the certification from the Center for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care and Use,
an organization within Japan Pharmaceutical Information Center, for accreditation as an animal testing facility.