Congress Looks to Speed Animal Testing Alternatives

Healthcare & Life Sciences attorney Michael Werner was cited in a Law360 article about a bill that would force the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to speed up removing animal testing requirements from its regulations. The proposed legislation, endorsed by the U.S. House of Representatives on July 20, 2026, would mandate the elimination of these requirements within a year and clarify that drugmakers can rely on computer modeling or advanced technologies such as organ-on-a-chip devices to test drugs before moving to human trials. Mr. Werner, who co-leads the firm's Healthcare & Life Sciences Team and focuses on issues affecting FDA-regulated entities, commented that "what's interesting about this legislation is that it really is a way to push FDA to execute on what the Congress has previously said," in reference to a 2022 law that already removed the animal testing requirement. The agency's rules still refer to animal testing, although more recent draft guidance indicates a willingness to exercise flexibility when evaluating research methodologies. Mr. Werner told Law360 the House's approval of the bill signals lawmakers want the FDA to accelerate this change.

"It's not like we're pushing a boulder uphill, but I think the idea is, 'Let's keep this going and move to these new models sooner rather than later,'" he said.

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