Pfizer bans forced swim tests in animal rights win

Pharma giant Pfizer has announced it will stop the practice of forced swim tests, following a year-long campaign by PETA.

Swim tests involve small animals being dropped into inescapable beakers of water in which they are forced to swim to keep from drowning. The tests, which are designed to shed light on human depression, have been widely discredited as they can’t accurately predict whether a drug will work to treat the disease in humans.  More so, the tests can yield positive results for compounds that aren't prescribed as human antidepressants, such as caffeine, and negative results for compounds that are.

Pfizer is thought to have used at least 1,270 mice and rats in forced swim tests since 1991, but the experiments haven’t helped lead to any marketable drugs to treat depression in humans. While Pfizer has stated it hasn’t used swim tests since 2009, the company still refused to ban the test despite ongoing protests which include over half a million e-mails from supporters of PETA and affiliates.

"PETA is delighted that Pfizer recognised this week that terrifying animals into thinking they might drown is both cruel and bad science," says PETA head of science Dr Gilly Stoddart. "PETA looks forward to seeing the company embrace a new era of animal-free, evidence-based research that will actually lead to treatments for humans who suffer from depression." 

Pfizer now joins Johnson & Johnson, AbbVie, Roche, AstraZeneca, Sage Therapeutics, Novo Nordisk A/S, and Boehringer Ingelheim in banning the test after talks with PETA US.

PETA is now calling on Eli Lilly and Bristol-Myers Squibb to follow suit.