PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 22nd April 2020
As researchers across the world rush to test a coronavirus vaccine in people, without the usual many years of prior testing in animals, Ricky Gervais raises the vital question: is there any real scientific value in animal testing?
In a filmed conversation with medical doctor Ray Greek – to be published on social media for World Day for Laboratory Animals, 24th April – Ricky Gervais calls for a Government-mandated scientific hearing on animal experiments, judged by independent experts from the relevant fields of science.
Founded upon current medical evidence, the hearing will expose the widely documented failure of animal tests in the search for human treatments and cures: a failure reported by the British Medical Journal [1] and Food and Drug Administration, which states that 9 out of 10 new human medicines fail in human clinical trials, because animals cannot predict human responses. [2] Pharmaceutical companies write openly about the failure of animal tests in their drug development process: [3] the US-based National Cancer Institute says we have lost cures for cancer because studies in rodents have been believed. [4]
In their filmed conversation, Dr. Greek explains to Ricky why key biological differences between animals and humans lead to worthless and damaging results from animal experiments. Ricky Gervais says the outcome of this public science hearing “will be the greatest scientific discovery in the world: that animal testing doesn’t work, let’s stop it and put all this money into something that works… it’s a game changer.”
Ricky’s Facebook promo film – to be published on WDAIL, 24th April – will link to his full filmed conversation titled ‘Black, White and Vivisection,’ where Dr. Greek tells Ricky that a combination of outdated bogus claims about science and a multi-billion pound vested interest, dependent upon the continuation of animal experiments, are, today, real obstacles to finding human treatments and cures.
Dr. Greek defeated plans by Cambridge University to build a multi-million pound primate laboratory, with a precedent ruling against the laboratory on ‘national interest, medical and scientific grounds’. Dr. Greek is president of Americans and Europeans for Medical Advancement (AFMA/EFMA) and co-developer with Dr. Niall Shanks of Trans-Species Modeling Theory (TSMT). Founded upon the Theory of Evolution, TSMT provides the scientific explanation for decades of evidence reporting the failure of animal testing.
Ricky will call upon MPs to sign new Parliamentary Early Day Motion 250, tabled by Dr. Lisa Cameron MP and calling for the science hearing:
Says Ricky Gervais: “It’s time for the Government to mandate a thorough public scientific hearing on animal experiments and listen to expert judges who don’t have a vested interest in animal experimentation. Scientists publishing in peer reviewed science journals are clear that animal modelling of humans does not work; we need to listen to them because false science is still being used to fund appalling animal cruelty. That’s why I’m supporting Parliamentary EDM 250 and its call for a fair public science hearing.”
The hearing will lay the foundation for updating legislation, to prohibit animal modeling of human patients and redirect valuable funding towards state-of-the-art human-based research, such as body on a chip and gene-based medicine, in order to prioritise the arrival of effective human treatments and cures and end the suffering of laboratory animals.
The science hearing’s judges will include experts from the fields of clinical medicine, complexity / chaos theory, evolutionary biology, philosophy of science, clinical research, drug development and basic research.
The EDM’s science hearing is supported by its Patron Peter Egan, Dr. Jane Goodall, Chris Packham, Jane Fallon, Lesley Nicol and Paul O’Grady.
ENDS
For interviews please contact Louise Owen, founder and director of the science-based campaign For Life On Earth (FLOE) at floelouise@gmail.com or mobile 07751 873 389
BACKGROUND
Parliamentary EDM 250 opens with a tribute to rescued ex-laboratory dog Scarlett, who is Beagle Ambassador for the science-based campaign For Life On Earth (FLOE) https://www.scarlettbeagle.org
The latest Home Office figures show that the numbers of dogs used in invasive experiments increased from 2,496 in 2017 to 2,909 in 2018. These experiments typically involve dogs being force fed chemicals for up to ninety days, with no pain relief or anaesthetic.
Dr. Ray Greek defeated plans to build a multi-million pound primate laboratory at Cambridge University in 2002, with a precedent ruling on ‘national interest medical and scientific grounds’. Dr. Jane Goodall celebrated that victory in her filmed statement here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDaMPJVVssI
REFERENCES
1. BMJ 2014; 348: g3719 available here https://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g3719
2. FDA Issues Advice to Make Earliest Stages of Clinical Drug Development More Efficient, FDA June 18th 2006 [cited March 7 2010]
3. Referenced quotes by pharmaceutical companies against animal testing, available here: https://www.forlifeonearth.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Pharmaceutical-Company-Quotes2.pdf
4. Gura T: Cancer Models: Systems for identifying new drugs are often faulty. Science 1997, 278 (5340): 1041-1042.
RESOURCES
Parliamentary Early Day Motion 250 https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/56706/a-public-scientific-hearing-on-animal-experiments
Quotes by pharmaceutical companies against animal testing https://www.forlifeonearth.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Pharmaceutical-Company-Quotes2.pdf
Dr Ray Greek’s organisation, Americans and Europeans for Medical Advancement (AFMA/EFMA) https://www.afma-curedisease.org/
Patients Campaigning for Cures https://www.patientscampaigningforcures.org/
Campaign with rescued ex-laboratory dog Scarlett Beagle, winner of Daily Mirror Inspirational Animal of the Year, 2018 https://www.scarlettbeagle.org/
The science-based campaign For Life On Earth (FLOE) https://www.forlifeonearth.org/