Alcon

As the global leader in eye care, Alcon’s commitment to research and development exceeds that of any eye care company worldwide to transform eye care possibilities into therapeutic realities. With this commitment comes the responsibility of comprehensive testing of all our products to ensure their safety. Most of our products help combat diseases of the eye that can lead to blindness, help to correct vision or address other eye care needs.

Companies that develop medical products for human use are required by regulatory health authorities worldwide to test new medical therapies in animals before testing in human beings. These tests are required to confirm the accuracy of findings and to ensure quality, safety and efficacy of these medical products before they can be used in humans.

When these tests require the use of animals, Alcon strictly adheres to guidance from the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC), through which we are accredited, and follows the internationally accepted principles for humane animal use in research – the three "R"s:

• Replace tests with non-animal testing methods wherever appropriate. Alcon extensively tests all new products using non-animal laboratory procedures and limits animal testing only to that required to secure regulatory approval of new products.
• Reduce the number of animals used in each study. Alcon actively explores other testing methods first, to ensure that as few animals as possible are used in our testing.
• Refine testing to use the least invasive and painful method feasible. Alcon testing is rigorously designed to limit pain and invasiveness of testing procedures.

At Alcon, we believe there is a fourth "R" – Respect. Here animals are treated with the utmost respect, care and scrupulous attention to their welfare. Our veterinarians on staff ensure that animals at Alcon are treated with compassion and great concern for their comfort and psychological well-being through various enrichment programs and are monitored throughout the day for health and well-being.

We are committed to using animal testing only when scientifically necessary and required by regulatory agencies. We support the humane treatment of animals and comply with all legal regulations and standards regarding animal protection, and often go beyond local animal welfare regulations and standards.

• Alcon is proud of its accreditation by the global Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC).
• All research proposals with an animal use component have to be approved by a committee consisting of veterinarians, scientists and independent non-employee community members to ensure Alcon´s high standards of animal welfare are met before any research can commence. This same committee also monitors ongoing research to ensure animal welfare is maintained.
• Alcon consistently receives exemplary ratings and/or commendations on the conditions of our facility, quality of animal care and their overall health as a result of unannounced inspections by veterinarians representing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act.
• We support initiatives that reduce the necessity of animal testing such as the international harmonization of toxicity introduced by the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH), which reduced three similar tests needed for product approval in the U.S., Japan and the EU to one. However, as long as animal testing is required, Alcon will continue to operate to the highest standards of quality in our use and treatment of these animals.

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