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() Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative isn’t just for people anymore.
Kennedy has asked his agencies to end all animal testing for chemicals and drugs, and called the shift both a moral and a scientific necessity.
Last week, the National Institutes of Health announced it had secured $87 million for a new research center, which will eventually move away from animal testing and shift to tiny, lab-grown 3D tissue models.
The effort is now woven into the administration’s MAHA movement, and the move is drawing praise from animal rights groups like PETA.
A 2024 Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine poll found more than 80% of Americans support phasing out animal testing.
But not everyone is convinced. Americans for Medical Progress, a pro-research advocacy group, warns that moving too fast could undermine vital medical research.
The group also flagged that alternative testing methods must be rigorously checked before replacing animal research: “We are concerned that a premature or overly broad phaseout of animal studies with arbitrary timelines could unintentionally compromise the health and safety of both humans and animals.”
As for those retired lab animals, researchers will be allowed to use grant money to find them homes.
‘s Anna Kutz contributed to this report.