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Media Coverage Boehringer fined $20,060 for animal cruelty
Pharmaceutical company acknowledges 'unacceptable' treatment of lab
monkeys By Susan Tuz STAFF WRITER RIDGEFIELD -- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. acknowledged
Wednesday that animal handling practices in its laboratory were
"unacceptable" in several incidents that brought a $20,060 fine from the
U.S. Department of Agriculture last year. The incidents occurred in 2004 and included the death of a rhesus
monkey that was mistakenly steam-washed and severe burns to the pads of
another monkey that led to the amputation of several of the animal's
digits. Boehringer issued a statement Wednesday attributed to the company as
a whole. "In 2004, a USDA Inspection Report helped highlight areas where our
animal handling practices were simply inadequate and the effects on
animals were absolutely unacceptable," the statement reads. "We have
done a great deal over the past several years to remedy the situation,
including implementing a series of guidelines and safeguards, adding
numerous improvements and upgrades to our facility, and increased
staffing in an effort to prevent these incidents from occurring in the
future." "We feel confident that these measures will ensure that the issues
raised in the 2004 report will not be repeated," the statement added.
When dealing with issues of animal injuries that involve animal
rights organizations, the company does not name specific individuals in
any way related to the incident, a spokesman said. Documents received this month from the USDA after a Freedom of
Information request from The News-Times in November 2006 also reveal
that a dog in the Boehringer laboratory exhibited "unrelieved distress"
following experiments on it in excess of USDA allowances. "The combination of recurrent episodes of elevated body temperature
with inappetance (a condition caused by an animal not getting enough
nutrition) in Dog No. 1654 would be considered to be distressful to the
animal," the May 4, 2005, report reads. The problem was corrected by
July 1, 2005, the report added. On April 5, 2004, a beagle was found dead in its cage, the USDA report also said. "The front half of the dog's body
had passed through the vertical bars of the enclosure door and the
animal was wedged between the bars," the report reads. "Modification to
caging was made within one day after the dog was found dead." The report goes on to cite a rhesus monkey found dead June 1, 2004,
after its cage had been steam-washed at the laboratory. Three employees
moving monkeys from cages to be cleaned and then running the cages
through the steam cleaner did not seen the small monkey in the cage,
Boehringer's inspection into the incident revealed. On Sept. 14, 2004, a cynomolgus monkey was used in an experiment. Two
days later it was noticed that skin had sloughed off its hand pads, and
several digits had to be amputated. It was determined that "thermal injury because of inappropriate use
of supplemental heat sources during recovery from anesthesia" caused the
injury, the USDA report reads. "The animal was later identified as having an abnormal physical
condition, but personnel failed to promptly notify the attending
veterinarian," the USDA report said. Boehringer's report on the incident said the employees involved were
sanctioned, and action was taken from the time of the report to ensure
similar incidents did not happen in the future. On Oct. 30, 2004, a rhesus monkey was found dead in its cage
following a toxicology study preparation five days earlier. It was
determined the animal died from "self-inflicted trauma" resulting from
the way it was handled, the Boehringer and USDA reports read. Numerous minor violations in the storage of animal food and distress
in primates were cited in the USDA report. USDA spokesman Karen Eggert said Wednesday that a fine of $20,060
reflects "a number of violations. We fine up to $2,500 per violation."
USDA and Boehringer records reflect that the pharmaceutical company
contacted the USDA itself when "noncompliance" with the Animal Welfare
Act was found at the company. "We have a lot of facilities that self-report when finding an
employee was noncompliant, and that is the right thing to do," Eggert
said. "We work with companies to ensure that they're comfortable
reporting to us." Eggert said the USDA responds to "a few hundred" animal abuse reports
yearly. Not all of the reports end up being actual violations, but "we
take all complaints of noncompliance seriously and ensure no harm or
danger to animals is involved," she said. Michael Budkie, executive director of SAEN (Stop Animal Exploitation
Now), based in Cincinnati, reported the violations and the fine brought
against Boehringer to the press. "It's very important for the public to know about situations like
this," he said Wednesday. "You have to wonder if they can't follow basic
animal safety measures and you see them engaging in sloppy science ...
what that means for the effect their practices could have on people who
use their products." Budkie also noted "when a primate is killed in a cage because
employees can't check to make sure of the presence of the animal before
putting the cage into the washing system, that's just plain
carelessness." He thinks the $20,060 fine Boehringer paid was inadequate, while
noting that it is high for a USDA fine in such instances. "If you had a speeding ticket and the fine was $3, would you care?"
he asked, noting that with Boehringer's financial standing that is what
the $20,060 fine amounted to. Boehringer's statement Wednesday, along with acknowledging the
"unacceptable" effects on animals, said "as required under current drug
development laws and regulations, animal studies must be carried out as
part of the drug development process." "At Boehringer Ingelheim, we are committed to advancing the health of
patients in the United States and around the world through innovation
and scientific discovery," the statement added. "The company takes all issues pertaining to animal research very
seriously, and we are committed to the highest standards for the humane
care and treatment of animals used throughout our laboratories." See: USDA Instection
Report - 21 Oct 2005 - PDF
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