Interest Grows in Animal Testing Alternatives By Shute Huong Nay 2,2014 12:21 am ‘With China planing to relax is requirement that cosmetics and other personal care products be tesied on animals before they ean go to market, a government raining program in ternative testing methods is suddenly so popular it has had o tum away applicants ‘Tee policy change, announced in December by the Chinese Food and Drug Administration and o take effect in June, would allow the sale of “non-specialzed cosmetics” manufactured in China, such as soap, shampoo and some skin products, without being ested on animals, if they ean draw on existing saety data for raw ingredients or perform European Union= validated nonanimal tests. “When the results of risk assessment produce sufficient evidence ‘c guarantee safety, tonicity tests on the fnished products may be skipped,” the new rule sys. Although the new rule will apply only to domestic products, industry and advocacy groups hope it will eventually be extended to imported products, thereby opening China to Western ‘companies tha oppose animal testing, “I think CFDA intends to accumulate hands-on experience in safety assessment from the domestically produced products, which was the main eason why itis only covering the domestically produced cosmetic,” said Tommy Kong, head of cosmetie services at Reach, a consulting firm specializing in industry regulatory issues. Ir time, he sid the new rule “will be applied to imported cosmeties,” since it is a matter of “air ade.” ‘ut scientists and animal welfare activists question whether Chinese laboratories ae lly prepared to conduet non-animal tests. The longstanding reliance on animal testing in China has held back research in alternative methods. “itis our understanding thatthe new legisiation” means that “if the domestic companies have the expertise then they can avoid the animal ts," said Erin H. Hil, vice president for product development a the Insitute fr In Vito Seienees, which has been meetiag with Chinese regulators and scientists on the issue since 2009. "We think itis very key that many of these companies and laboratories do not currently have this expertise an¢ therefore may have to continue to rely on the animal test.” The taining program organized by the Inspection and Quarantine Burean of Guangdong, Province in collaboration with Humane Society Intemational is an effort address this issue [More than $0 delegates from 26 laboratories and cosmetics companies aross China will attend the opening seminar on Monday in Guangzhou, the provincial eagital Scientists ftom the bureau and the Institute for In Vitro Seiencess laboratory that explores non-animal testing methods, will then provide a three-day training session for 26 participants,“Nonanimal testing is barely five years old in China while Wester laboratories have had a Jot of success in this area,” said Cheng Shujun, director of the toxicology department of a esearch and testing facility un by the Guangdong Inspection and Quarantine Bureau Mr. Cheng’ laboratory is one of only a handful in China abe to perform such procedures 09 cosmetics. Chinese scientists and regulators lck the “laboratory infrastructure and ingredient salty data” needed to help assess risk, he sid. » The Guangzhou raining program iso belp overcome this knowledge gap and provide the ‘Chinese withthe “tool box" needed forthe change, said Troy Seidl, direcor of research and ‘oxiology at Humane Society International, The organization provided an $80,000 grant to support the Guangzhou training session and similar programs being planned for Chia, Lthink some Chinese companies and regulators wil be familiar with some ofthe alternative approaches,” Me. Seidle sai. “However, there is still much work to be done before these retiods become ‘satus quo” inthe Chinese cosmetics industry” The Guangzhou taining rogram is part of larger iterationa effort wo persuade Chin o endanimal testing. In carly 2012 that eff intesfed afer China expanded tail ‘esting requirement poets that previously could be sold without such esting such as sce and dandruff treatments ‘Theadvocacy group People fr the Ethical Treatment of Animals sad that some mjor cosmetics companies, including Avon and Estée Lauder, responded by quietly reversing theit policy of no animal testing inorder to continue selling thet products in Ching. Avon and Este Lauder did no espond to requests for comment. Seeking to influence Chinese atitudes regarding alterative testing methods, PETA, approached the Institute for In Vito Scionees and helped str a traning eampaign for Chinese scientists, said PETA's senior vice president, Kathy Guillermo. “Th: Chinese eutorities did not accept the results of non-animal ests” provided by foreign ‘companies, “and they could not condvct their own non-animal ests in China because they did not save the training or the infrastructure to do that,” Ms. Guillermo sai, Bur that is changing, said Mr. Cheng of the Guangdong Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, noting the rising enthusiasm forthe taining program. “We used to organize similar workshops and just a few came to see what was up," he sai. “Only 18 people took the laboratory tutoring ast yer. Bu this year more than 30 applied for slot in my lab. They std merely observing would help them, bu they need hands-on training, I could only accept 26 people. “You can fel the change in thinking” about animal tests, he said, “in Beijing and here."