AAMC Statement on USDA Settlement
Jordan J. Cohen, M.D., President
Association of American Medical Colleges
October 2, 2000

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The AAMC is disappointed that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has settled the litigation instigated by the Alternatives Research and Development Foundation. Unfortunately, the settlement now opens the door to an increased regulatory and paperwork burden on the scientists and their institutions that use rats, mice, and birds to conduct vital biomedical research. Settling this suit without taking into account the deep concerns of the research community is a serious mistake.

The use of rats, mice, and birds in research at medical schools and teaching hospitals is already subject to regulation by the U.S. Public Health Service and the Food and Drug Administration. USDA regulations in this area will only increase the reporting requirements of research facilities--at a significant cost--and in the end do nothing for animal welfare. Without question, the greatest expense of all will be the cost to patients who have historically benefited from the treatments derived from research using rats, mice and birds.

The battle will now be joined in the regulatory and legislative arenas. The AAMC will continue working on behalf of researchers and patients to ensure that vital resources intended to find cures and treatments for human disease are not frittered away on senseless and duplicative bureaucratic hoops that are driven by ideology and not reality.

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The Association of American Medical Colleges represents the 125 accredited U.S. medical schools; the 16 accredited Canadian medical schools; some 400 major teaching hospitals, including 74 Veterans Administration medical centers; 91 academic and professional societies representing nearly 88,000 faculty members; and the nation's 67,000 medical students and 102,000 residents.

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