Watchdog Group: Unnecessary Drug Testing On Dogs Held Up A Potential Treatment For COVID-19

Justin Goodman with the White Coat Waste Project joined the Daily Caller’s Stephanie Hamill to bring attention to taxpayer funded animal experiments happening in the U.S.

Goodman went on to explain how “unnecessary” drug testing on dogs held up a potential treatment for coronavirus. (RELATED: Lara Trump: The Trump Administration Is Phasing Out Testing On Animals, But Don’t Expect The Media To Tell You.)

Goodman said that the “poster child” was a company called Vanda pharmaceuticals, which is based in Washington, D.C.

“A couple of years ago they had a drug that they had already tested extensively on animals including dogs in some trials and humans, the animal test because the FDA required it and humans because obviously that’s the right thing to do, they already had this drug in late stage human trials, it was already safe and effective, the data looked good, the FDA halted the trial.”

Goodman said the FDA told Vanda to do “a 9 month study on dogs” and if they didn’t, human trials would not continue.

“They were at a standstill,” he said noting that the drug never made it to market. “The insult to injury here is that the same drug that FDA held up two years ago is now a potential treatment for COVID related pneumonia.”

According to the animal watchdog group, taxpayers are paying over $20 billion a year for “wasteful and cruel” experiments on dogs and other animals.

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz is also a supporter of the effort to end drug testing on dogs. He issued this statement to the Daily Caller:

It’s sickening that government bureaucrats are forcing drug makers to torture and kill puppies in outdated and ineffective testing when those companies would prefer more efficient and humane alternatives. Cutting this FDA red tape and allowing companies to avoid unnecessary dog testing will improve drug development, save dogs, and expedite the progress of treatments for deadly diseases.

The Food and Drug Administration didn’t respond to a request for comment.

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