No other option
Novo Nordisk is aware of the problem, but claims it has no other options because its animal testing, including on monkeys, is crucial to production.
The company said it places great emphasis on using as few animals for research as possible.
“We cannot avoid using animals for experiments. We also cannot avoid using monkeys before long. It is simply not realistic to imagine doing that,” says Jan Lund Ottesen, deputy head of Novo Nordisk, to DR.
Ottesen said that whenever a research project is proposed, an evaluation is made as to whether monkeys are needed for testing.
According to figures from Novo Nordisk, it used around 700 monkeys, 50,000 mice, 8,000 rats, 600 rabbits, 400 pigs, 100 guinea pigs, 150 dogs and 14,000 fish as part of trials in 2022.
The company’s annual report for 2022 showed that it spent about 67 percent more on animals for testing last year than in 2021 (see image below).
2022 proved to be an extremely profitable year for Novo Nordisk.
(photo: Novo Nordisk)
Source: The Nordic Page