As a Baywatch lifeguard, Pamela Anderson braved cold water to save fictional people but she won’t do it for real people. Anderson has refused the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to help raise money and awareness for Lou Gehrig’s disease. The longtime spokesperson for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) cited animal testing as the reason.
“Recent experiments funded by the ALS Association, mice had holes drilled into their skulls, were inflicted with crippling illnesses, and were forced to run on an inclined treadmill until they collapsed from exhaustion. Monkeys had chemicals injected into their brains and backs and were later killed and dissected,” she explained the medical journal Facebook.
Anderson cited a 2006 FDA report stating: “92 out of every 100 drugs that pass animal trials fail during the human clinical trial phase.”
Those statistics may be disappointing, particularly for recipients, but the purpose is not only to determine the effectiveness of the drug.
“‘Preclinical’ trials are performed in animals to test for safety. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) usually requires that a new drug be tested in two different kinds of animals, such as mice and monkeys,” explained a 2007 report by the ALS Association, which no longer uses moneys despite the accusations.
Anderson suggests those looking to donate find an animal friendly charity on humaneseal.org. The only charity listed for the disease is Compassionate Care ALS, which provides a holistic approach (i.e.; no drug testing, which require animal testing). The ALS Medicine includes herbal tea, inspirational DVDs and slings to help patient get around. Not to knock any of those thing but they’re no cure. The PETA-philes are essentially saying it’s better that people suffer than animals.
“Sophisticated non-animal testing methods—including in vitro methods, advanced computer-modeling techniques, and studies with human volunteers, among others—have given us everything from the best life-saving HIV drugs to cloned human skin for burn victims,” insists Anderson. “Trying to cure human diseases by relying on outdated and ineffective animal experiments isn’t only cruel—it’s a grave disservice to people who desperately need cures.”
The ALS Association has already, in fact, implemented measures to reduce animal testing.
“Significant advances have been made in ALS and other neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease using model systems such as rodents, flies and worms to better understand disease mechanisms and to develop therapies,” the ALS Association told The Daily Banter. “With advances in technology made possible through research funding from The ALS Association, different approaches to minimize the use of these model systems are being developed. Similar to organizations globally, The ALS Association supports laboratories and scientists that strictly adhere to the guidelines provided by the National Institutes of Health. The Association is committed to honoring donor intent. If a donor is not comfortable with a specific type of research, he or she can stipulate that their dollars not be invested in that particular area.”
Chief Scientist for the ALS Association, Lucie Bruijn, Ph.D., MBA confirmed, “We are currently not funding primate studies and per our statement, support research that adheres to ethical guidelines.”
Sounds like this celebrity is all wet, after all!
Good for her. It is her life, her choice. Not our place to judge. She has every right to stick to her beliefs and her causes. There is absolutely no reason we should look down on her. Besides, it’s not like we haven’t seen her in a cold wet t-shirt before.