Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many beagles from MBR Acres were used in the UK in the development of a covid-19 vaccine.

Regulatory testing to assure the efficacy and safety of human medicines, including vaccines, may require the use of animals where non animal alternatives are not available. This sometimes includes the use of beagles, for which MBR acres is the only UK facility with this capability.

The government is actively funding research through the National Centre for the 3Rs (NC3Rs) to develop computational and mathematical models that would be a virtual second species and thereby ultimately replace the use of beagles in drug development. More information is available at: www.nc3rs.org.uk/crackit/virtual-second-species

The Home Office does not collect specific data on how many beagles from MBR Acres have been used in Great Britain in the development of Covid-19 or pandemic vaccines, or whether Contract Research Organisations have used beagles from MBR Acres in pre-clinical work on potential pandemic vaccines.