Sustainability
Laboratory Animal Care
At Asahi Kasei Life Science, we are dedicated to ongoing research and development to provide better products to our customers.
To ensure the efficacy, safety, and quality of our products, animal testing may be required in some cases. However, we deeply respect the lives of animals and believe that any such testing must be conducted appropriately—based on scientific validity and with full consideration for animal welfare.
We are committed to carrying out all necessary testing in a responsible and ethical manner.
To ensure consideration for animal welfare and the application of sound scientific reasoning, Asahi Kasei Life Science has created Basic Guidelines on Animal Care and Use, based on the regulations, standards, and guidelines listed below, and established a Committee on Animal Care and Use (CACU) to oversee implementation of the Basic Guidelines:
- Act on Welfare and Management of Animals
- Standards Relating to the Care and Management of Laboratory Animals and Relief of Pain
- Guidelines on Methods of Sacrificing Animals
- Basic Guidelines for Proper Conduct of Animal Testing and Related Activities in the Research Institutions under the Jurisdiction of the Japan Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare
- Guidelines for Proper Conduct of Animal Experiments
The CACU investigates whether animal studies have been planned and were conducted in conformance with the principles of the 3Rs:
- Replacement – use of methods which avoid or replace the use of animals,
- Reduction – use of methods which minimize the number of animals used per study, and
- Refinement – use of methods which minimize suffering and improve animal welfare.
Furthermore, in the event that we entrust animal studies to a third party, the CACU verifies prior to initiation of any third-party study that appropriate studies will be conducted based on consideration for animal welfare.
For all our employees involved with animal studies, we conduct continuing education and training one or more times a year related to animal studies and laboratory animals, and train employees in the proper implementation of animal studies.
We conduct regular internal audits of our research with laboratory animals to verify our compliance with government regulations and our Basic Guidelines on Animal Care and Use.
The head of Asahi Kasei Life Science research approves animal study plans and reviews on-going animal studies, educational training, and internal compliance audits, taking corrective measures as required.
Asahi Kasei Life Science obtained accreditation as an animal care and use facility from Japan Pharmaceutical Information Center.