Why Animal Tests Often Fail to Predict Human Drug Responses
Poor Translatability of Biomedical Research Using Animals — A Narrative Review
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Over 92% of drugs fail in human trials despite passing animal tests — and this rate hasn't improved in decades
Most people assume animal testing is a reliable predictor of human drug responses. The persistence of this high failure rate over decades suggests the entire drug development pipeline needs fundamental rethinking.
Practical Takeaways
For patients: Be aware that drugs in development have a high failure rate, and ask about trial phases and safety records
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Over 92% of drugs fail in human trials despite passing animal tests — and this rate hasn't improved in decades
Most people assume animal testing is a reliable predictor of human drug responses. The persistence of this high failure rate over decades suggests the entire drug development pipeline needs fundamental rethinking.
Practical Takeaways
For patients: Be aware that drugs in development have a high failure rate, and ask about trial phases and safety records
Publication
Journal
Alternatives to Laboratory Animals
Year
2023
Authors
Lindsay J. Marshall, Jarrod Bailey, Manuela Cassotta, Kathrin Herrmann, F. Pistollato
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Claims (2)
Most drugs that look promising in animal studies—over 92% of them—end up failing when researchers try to use them in humans, and this high failure rate hasn't changed much in decades.
When scientists develop new drugs using animal tests, more than 92% of them fail when tried on humans - either because they're toxic or don't work as expected.