MPI Research Newest Drug-Testing Company to Be Exposed For Animal Cruelty

"MPI is a 12-year-old company that conducts early-stage drug-development trials for pharmaceutical companies."

Article:

Animal-rights group requests federal investigation of MPI

http://www.mlive.com/business/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/
business-4/1192546210269060.xml&coll=7

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

BY ALEX NIXON

MATTAWAN -- An animal-rights group has asked the federal government to investigate the way Mattawan drug-testing company MPI Research treats the animals it uses.

Stop Animal Exploitation Now, or SAEN, said at a news conference Monday morning that it was contacted a month ago by an employee of MPI Research regarding allegations that MPI's treatment of animals used in drug testing violates the federal Animal Welfare Act.

``Some of the violations revealed by the whistleblower include inadequate veterinary care and inadequate observation of the animals,'' Michael Budkie, executive director of Milford, Ohio-based SAEN, said in a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's animal-care division.

Budkie refused to disclose the identity of the MPI employee because, he said, that person fears reprisals. He also would not say if the person was a current or former employee.

MPI Chairman and Chief Executive Officer William Parfet said the 1,500-employee company is ``vigorously'' inspected by both the USDA and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

``We take it seriously,'' Parfet said of the allegations. ``But we don't believe that there's been any wrongdoing.''

Parfet said MPI would cooperate fully with any inspection or investigation by regulators, but he said he didn't know if or when that would happen.

USDA spokesman Jim Rogers said the agency follows up all complaints. As of Monday afternoon, he said, the animal-care division had received SAEN's complaint but hadn't contacted MPI about it.

MPI is a 12-year-old company that conducts early-stage drug-development trials for pharmaceutical companies. Rogers said it is inspected once a year by the USDA and was investigated once in 2005. No violations were found in connection with that inquiry, he said.

Groups Gather to Remind World that Novartis Supports Animal Testing and the Cruel Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS)

Article:

Anti-vivisection demonstrators target Novartis

http://www.24heures.ch/pages/home/24_heures/english_corner/news/news_detail/(contenu)/139423

Activists accuse Novartis headquarters in Nyon of collaboration with animal-testing company

Fifteen activists demonstrated in front of the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis in Nyon on Monday afternoon denouncing animal-testing methods. Participants carrying placards saying “Animal Murderers” or “No to Vivisection” gathered for three hours. Although animal-testing is not conducted at the Novartis factory, the demonstrators accuse Novartis of collaborating with British company, Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS), which they claim uses “cruel and doubtful” animal-testing methods.

The aim of the activists, who call themselves “Stop Huntingdon Animal cruelty”, is to force business partners to discontinue dealing with the British lab. “We have already managed to make them lose SFr90 million since 1999,” says one demonstrator.

According to Paul Herling, head of research for Novartis international, animal experimentation is a useful support for in-vitro methods. The pharmaceutical company says it regularly scrutinizes partner companies and established the Novartis Animal Welfare service two years ago to assess the treatment of animals during experimentation.