ACVM Group Employee Invited on to US Expert Panel

John Reeve, National Manager Toxicology and Residues, has been invited on to an Expert Peer Review Panel set up by the US Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM). The panel is to conduct an independent scientific review of the revised ‘Up-and-Down Procedure’ for determining the acute oral toxicity of chemicals. This review is essential if the US is to accept data generated using this revised method, and this acceptance is vital if the US is to accept the deletion of the classical LD ₅₀ test from the OECD Test Guidelines. The deletion of the classical LD ₅₀ test is being pushed very hard by the European Union on animal welfare grounds (the new test uses significantly fewer animals to determine an LD ₅₀ for a chemical).

Following the outcome from this peer review, which is being funded by the US Government, the OECD will host a meeting of experts to agree formally on whether to adopt the new test as an OECD Guideline.