(José Niño, Headline USA) The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has approved more than $20 million for new dog studies despite pledging to phase out animal-based testing models, according to evidence compiled by the White Coat Waste Project (WCWP).
This decision comes as other federal agencies, including the EPA, FDA, and Pentagon, move away from animal testing, citing its unreliability for predicting drug safety in humans.
In July, NIH issued a statement suggesting future funding opportunities would not be based *exclusively* on animal models, while emphasizing prioritization of “human-based technologies and models, where scientifically valid and justified.” Advocates argue this vague language leaves open a significant loophole.
“The public shouldn’t believe the NIH hype,” said Justin Goodman, senior vice president of advocacy and public policy at WCWP. “Despite the headlines and press releases, the NIH hasn’t made any commitments to cut current animal tests or restrict future funding for them, despite the White House requesting a 40% spending cut citing our blockbuster beagle lab and gain-of-function investigations.”
Federal agencies have long documented the failures of animal testing. The FDA estimated in 2004 that passing preclinical tests—including those using animal models—never make it to market. A 2013 study showed failure rates as high as 56% in phase 1, 82% in phase 2, and 50% in phase 3—a cumulative failure rate of 96%. In 1985, the failure rate was 86%, underscoring how reliability has not improved despite decades of reliance on animal trials.
In April, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. touted a “dramatic reduction” in animal studies at NIH, citing artificial intelligence as a more precise tool for assessing toxins in products.
Despite reform efforts, WCWP has highlighted disturbing cases of taxpayer-funded animal studies. During “Beagle-gate,” a series of NIH-approved experiments under Dr. Anthony Fauci, dogs had their vocal cords cut, their heads enclosed in mesh coverings, and were exposed to sand flies. Other studies reportedly involved cats and dogs subjected to invasive, often fatal procedures.
“What routinely happens to animals in labs with our tax dollars would be felony animal cruelty if it occurred anywhere else,” Goodman stated. Millions of animals, including dogs, cats, and primates, are kept in small cages, socially isolated, and manipulated through food and water deprivation to force compliance.
The NIH’s most recent dog study grants target conditions such as Alzheimer’s, breast cancer, and chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia—diseases researchers argue could be more effectively studied with human-derived models.
FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary has been a vocal critic of government-funded dog studies. “Puppy Beagles and other dogs are not ours to abuse in barbaric medical experiments,” Makary wrote in December 2022. He called the studies “outdated, unnecessary, and cruel.”
This past April, Makary announced that the FDA will phase out animal models for monoclonal antibodies, replacing them with AI, organ-on-chip systems, and real-world human data. “This initiative marks a paradigm shift in drug evaluation,” Makary declared, arguing it can make treatments safer, faster, and cheaper.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has also pledged to end animal testing, reintroducing a Trump-era initiative halted under President Biden. In July, EPA launched an adoption plan for zebrafish and rats, with plans to expand to other species.
While other agencies commit to reform, NIH leadership has issued mixed statements. Acting NIH Deputy Director Nicole Kleinstreuer said in July that the agency cannot “phase out animal studies overnight” because they remain “very important and often scientifically justified.” She added that NIH is bound by law to fund ongoing grants.
Goodman rejected these claims. “The NIH is a different breed than other federal agencies because the problem is so deeply enmeshed in its fabric,” he said. “The NIH is the single largest funder of animal experiments in the world, wasting about 40% of its $48 billion budget every year. Bureaucrats, universities, pharma companies, animal breeders, and device manufacturers are all profiting at animals’ and taxpayers’ expense.”
“Taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to bankroll barbaric beagle tests just so pharma can profit,” Goodman added. “To erase Fauci’s fingerprints from NIH, President Trump and Secretary Kennedy must defund dog labs and finish cleaning house.”
As Headline USA previously reported, Fauci’s Envigo breeding facility in Cumberland, Virginia was the source of thousands of bone-chilling tests on beagles, which has placed his previous tenure as NIH director under further scrutiny.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
