At Amgen we develop medicines to fight serious illnesses such as cancer, kidney disease and rheumatoid arthritis.  In the course of developing these life-saving medicines, it is essential for us to assess the safety and efficacy of new drugs prior to their use in humans.  The Food and Drug Administration, as well as other regulatory bodies around the world, require that most drugs be thoroughly evaluated before approving them for human studies.

The Amgen policies and standards on laboratory animal care abide by the principles known as the 3Rs of animal research: 

• Refine—Eliminate or minimize impact to animals by reducing potentially painful or invasive procedures, whenever possible
• Reduce—Use the absolute minimum number of animals in each study necessary to obtain valid results
• Replace—Always look for alternative, non-animal-based research methods where possible

In addition, we ensure that:

• The care and use of all laboratory animals meets or exceeds relevant local, national and international regulations.  Our programs and facilities are subject to unannounced regulatory review and inspections.  They also undergo regular peer review inspections to maintain our accreditation status by the Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC), a private nonprofit organization that promotes the humane treatment of animals in science. AAALAC is recognized as the "gold standard" internationally for research animal programs.
• All animal use is reviewed and approved by a panel of objective experts, which includes independent external representation from the local community.
  
• Quality veterinary care is available at all times.  
  
• All our laboratory animals are consistently monitored for signs of ill health by veterinary professionals and other qualified staff members.
  
• Staff members involved in the care of laboratory animals are properly trained to ensure they can competently care for these animals.
  
• Amgen exercises diligent animal welfare oversight for sponsored work at contract research organizations, including regular on-site evaluations by Amgen veterinary staff.

For additional information about the ethical use of animals in research, please visit the California Biomedical Research Association (CBRA) web site at www.ca-biomed.org.