The new regulations will come into effect from 1 January 2020
The Chinese government has given the green light to nine alternative methods for animal testing, according to a statement issued by The Institue for In Vitro Sciences (IIVS).
Two of the nine methods will be the Direct Peptide Reaction Assay (DPRA) tests for skin sensitisation and the Short Time Exposure Assay (STE) for eye irritation.
A number of initiatives were launched against the government lobbying for it to end its mandatory animal testing for cosmetics in the country.
This includes The Leaping Bunny Pilot Project launched by Crulety Free International and Forever Against Animal Testing alongisde The Body Shop.
Meanwhile, the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) and its subordinate body, the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC), have been requiring technical infrastructure for alternative testing.
Commenting on the announcement, Erin Hill, President of IIVS said: “The opening of the alternatives laboratory at the Zhejiang Institute for Food and Drug Control is a wonderful example of how laboratories can expand to offer training and testing services in alternative test methods.
“We have seen first hand how the partnership with NIFDC and our training programmes have built capacity and proficiency in alternatives.”
The new regulations will come into effect from 1 January 2020.
