As reported by the animal rights organization PETA, the “German Mouse Clinic” at Helmholtz Zentrum München has announced that it will no longer conduct the forced swim test. This is a major victory for animals.

Professor Dr. Christa Thöne-Reineke from the Free University of Berlin and Professor Dr. Birgit Schittek from the University of Tübingen are receiving this year’s Ursula M. Händel Animal Welfare Prize from the German Research Foundation (DFG). The prize is worth 80,000 euros. They will each receive an equal share of the prize.

On last Monday, the European Commission finally published the long-awaited roadmap for phasing out animal testing in chemical safety assessments. The announcement was accompanied by a three-day conference. The initiative is a result of the European Citizens’ Initiative “Save Cruelty-Free Cosmetics,” which received widespread public support across Europe for ending animal testing.

ECHA has established the Collaboration Platform for Alternatives to Animal Testing to support the development and adoption of alternative methods in a regulatory context within the scope of ECHA’s mandate. The platform aims to develop a common understanding of when and how alternative methods can be used to replace animal testing in the context of current information requirements.