The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said on 1 October 2026 that it had joined international medicines regulators in a joint statement calling for alternatives to animal testing to be advanced and implemented throughout the lifecycle of human medicines, wherever and as soon as possible. The statement, from the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities, was developed by the European Medicines Agency, the MHRA, the Irish Health Products Regulatory Authority and Swissmedic, and adopted by the ICMRA plenary. It sets out a long-term goal of replacing animal testing at every stage, from initial screening through non-clinical testing to licensing and post-authorisation activities.

For new medicines, ICMRA called on developers to use non-animal methods acceptable in a regulatory context while safeguarding scientific quality, and on regulators to support these efforts. It said the greatest reduction in animal use would come from non-animal batch release testing, and urged regulators to encourage such tests, challenge proposals to use animals, approve animal testing only where scientifically justified as having no equivalent or better alternative, and review existing requirements.

The MHRA said its priority remains patient access to safe and effective medicines, and that alternatives would be considered in assessments only once established as reliable. It cited earlier guidance on New Approach Methodologies and research into organ-on-a-chip technology, AI-driven predictive models and 3D bioprinted tissues.