NIH announces it will no longer fund animal-only studies
2025-07-10
At the FDA & NIH Workshop on Reducing Animal Testing on July 7, Nicole Kleinstreuer, Acting NIH Deputy Director for Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives, stated “I’m delighted to announce today that all new NIH funding opportunities moving forward should incorporate language on consideration of NAMs (new approach methodologies).” She explained that the goals of NIH “cannot be fulfilled using outdated animal-based models that fail to translate to human outcomes,” and concluded that “NIH will no longer seek proposals exclusively for animal models.”
This new policy follows an announcement made in April that NIH will prioritize human-based research technologies and establish an Office of Research Innovation, Validation, and Application (ORIVA) to coordinate NIH-wide efforts to develop, validate, scale the use of non-animal methodologies (NAMs) across the agency’s biomedical research portfolio and serve as a hub for interagency coordination and regulatory translation for public health protection. It also aligns with the recent FDA announcement, also in April, to phase out the requirement for animal testing for monoclonal antibodies and other drugs in its Roadmap to Reducing Animal Testing in Preclinical Safety Studies.