IPC approves modern animal-free testing for drugs

In its 2018 edition of Indian Pharmacopoeia, the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) has approved modern, animal-free tests for drug manufacturers. This step would spare animals from suffering due to drug experiments. The 2018 edition of Indian Pharmacopoeia has provided guidelines on tests for drugs manufactured and marketed in India. In it, IPC has replaced the pyrogen test carried out on rabbits and the abnormal toxicity test carried out on guinea pigs and mice with tests that can be done in test tubes. The guidelines in the edition will come into effect from July 1. The pyrogen test is carried out to check impurity or substance that can cause adverse side-effects. For the test, the drug is injected into a rabbit and the animal is closely observed for feverish symptoms. The abnormal toxicity test is carried out to check potential hazardous biological contamination in vaccine formulation. IPC is an autonomous institution of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare which sets standards for all drugs that are manufactured, sold and consumed in India. It is headquartered in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.