ECEAE Botox campaign

Who

Since 2009, the “Stop Botox animal testing” campaign has been supported by the ECEAE, an umbrella organization currently bringing together 18 scientific organizations, including Pro Anima and animal protection organizations across Europe.

What

Botox is the brand name of one of the products containing botulinum toxin, a neurotoxic poison. The toxin is used for medical purposes and increasingly for cosmetic applications.

Tested on mice, botulinum toxin is injected into the abdomen of mice which then suffer from paralysis, impaired vision and respiratory distress. After three or four days of suffering, they die of asphyxiation.

The challenge of the campaign is not only to inform the public but also to call on the authorities to act to speed up the validation and implementation of animal-free methods and to remove the botox test on mice from the legislation of the EU.

Indeed, animal-free testing methods are already available, but not all manufacturers use them.

Key dates

• 2009 : start of the campaign for the suppression of Botox tests by the ECEAE
• In 2011, the campaign achieved its first success : market leader Allergan obtained regulatory approval for a non-animal test in the United States, Canada and the EU.
• In 2015 : German company Merz received approval for a cell test in 2015.
• In August 2018, French manufacturer Ipsen finally received approval in the EU and Switzerland for a cell test — 7 years after Allergan.
• In 2021, and despite these successes, it is still estimated that 400,000 mice per year are subjected to a cruel death by asphyxiation in Europe alone.
• From June 21 – 26, 2021, a week of action is being organized across Europe by the ECEAE to protest against the continued use of mice in this cruel poisoning test.
• On July 9, 2022, the ECEAE is organizing a European day of action across Europe. Pro Anima joins, as in 2021, the event by dedicating a special day on all its social networks.
• The member organizations of the coalition, including Pro Anima, are asking the EDQM (European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines), the competent authority, to remove the test from the European Pharmacopoeia.
• In 2022, on behalf of the ECEAE, Pro Anima exchanges with the EDQM for this request ; request which will be refused by the European authority.
• At the end of 2022 and until 2023, and following the refusal of the EDQM, Pro Anima, on behalf of the ECEAE, contacts the EMA to open a dialogue and submit the 164,770 signatures collected over 10 years by the ECEAE requesting the deletion of the LD50 test on mice from the European regulations.
• April 20, 2023 : A delegation from the ECEAE met with representatives of the EMA (European Medicines Agency) in Amsterdam and delivered a petition totaling 164,770 signatures asking for the abolition of botox tests on mice.