Disclosure of Information Regarding the Ethical Treatment of Laboratory Animals

Toray Industries, Inc. aims to contribute to society and personal health enhancement through the creation of new pharmaceuticals and medical devices. The Company believes that animal testing is necessary and required for verifying the safety and efficacy of these products. However, these tests must be carried out with respect for animal life, considering the 3R principles for animal testing; Replacement (use of alternatives to animals), Reduction (reducing the number of animals used), and Refinement (minimization of pain).
With these 3R principles as the core philosophy, Toray Industries has established company’s rules to ensure that its animal testing is conducted ethically. The rules comply with the Act on Welfare and Management of Animals, the Standards Relating to the Care and Keeping and Reducing Pain of Laboratory Animals, the Guidelines for Proper Conduct of Animal Experiments, and other relevant guidelines. The Company is committed to the proper care and scientific use of laboratory animals.
Under the leadership of the head of the testing facility, the Company has set up an Animal Care and Use Committee. This committee carries out ethical and scientific review of the adequacy of all Company animal testing plans, focusing on the minimization of pain (Refinement), use of alternatives to animals (Replacement), and reducing the number of animals used (Reduction). Through these efforts, the Company strives to conduct appropriate animal testing based on the 3R principles. Specifically, as alternatives to animal testing, Toray has proactively adopted in silico evaluation¹ using computers and in vitro evaluation² using cultured cells. For pharmacokinetic evaluation, the Company has been able to reduce the number of animals used by adopting a simultaneous analysis method for multiple compounds administered in mixed doses. Humane endpoints (criteria for suspending and discontinuing experiments to avoid causing undue suffering) are also set for all planned experiments.
The committee provides all staff involved in animal testing with training on the handling of laboratory animals and biannual ethics education, making completion of these educational programs mandatory for those involved in such activities. The committee also works to raise awareness of animal testing and laboratory ethics.
In addition, the Animal Care and Use Committee carries out annual self-monitoring and evaluation of the regulations and systems in place, the committee actions, facility maintenance, and animal testing to verify that each test is conducted appropriately.
Toray Industries’ Basic Research Center has continually received certification from the Assessment and Accreditation Center for Laboratory Animal Care and Use, Japan Pharmaceutical Information Center³ since 2012.
Finally, as a symbolic act to express gratitude and respect toward the animals used in its tests, the Company holds a memorial service every year to honor these laboratory animals.

1. 1 in silico evaluation: An evaluation method that uses computers to predict the physiological activity, pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and other characteristics of a compound from existing data.
2. 2 in vitro evaluation: An evaluation method that detects the physiological activity, pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and other characteristics of a compound using human or animal cells and tissues in test tubes or culture dishes.
3. 3 For a list of facilities certified by the Japan Pharmaceutical Information Center, click here.