The Central Panel for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA) has withdrawn its circular on conducting vaccine trials on stray dogs that was issued more than a year ago.

The CPCSEA had last year in September recommended that “stray dogs may be used for new vaccine trials and challenge studies of vaccines”.

The decision had drawn flak from the animal rights body People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) which had warned the government panel that its recommendation would open the floodgates not only for stray dogs but also for other feral animals to be used in experiments, such as painful efficacy and toxicity testing, dissections, and demonstrations.

Over a year later, the CPCSEA, in a new circular dated October 5, has withdrawn the circular until further orders.

PETA India Science Policy Advisor Dr Ankita Pandey said it applauds the CPCSEA for “withdrawing a regressive policy that would have negatively affected science, animal welfare and public health”.

“Reliance on tests using stray dogs and other animals to predict human responses to vaccines, drugs, and treatments is scientifically unsound and deeply troubling on ethical grounds,” she added.

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