May 12, 2025

Americans for Medical Progress submitted a letter to NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, regarding its newly announced initiative to prioritize human-based research technologies while reducing the use of animals.

The letter, which was also shared with Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of the Department of Health and Human Services, emphasizes AMP’s support for a balanced and evidence-based transition into the next generation of biomedical research. But this shift must be comprehensive, transparent, and inclusive of the scientific resources and knowledge at our disposal, including ongoing work with animals. By combining the strengths of both traditional and emerging methodologies—alongside continual stakeholder input—we can uphold the health and safety of both people and animals and drive science forward in a responsible manner

To achieve this, AMP provides six recommendations:

1. Commit to an integrative approach to ensure stronger science.
2. Address infrastructure and knowledge gaps alongside interagency inconsistencies.
3. Sustain and implement recommendations from the 2021 NIH Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) animal research working group report.
4. Establish a NAMs rigor and reproducibility task force.
5. Preserve peer review quality and integrity.
6. Demonstrate commitment to the 3Rs through practice, not numbers.

Download a PDF copy of AMP’s letter here.