Suppressed Report Told UK Govt. To Ban Animal Organ Transplants

by ANC Staff

Anti-vivisection activists in the UK are calling for their government to stop suppressing the publication of a recent review commissioned by its own Health Department, and carried out by independent medical ethics experts, which examines the ethical and legal implications of animal organ transplants, otherwise known as "xenotransplantation".

After considering all the ethical and legal aspects of xenotransplantation, the report’s authors, Professor Sheila MacLean and Dr Laura Williamson at the University of Glasgow, expressed grave concern about the severe animal suffering involved and also about the risk of infecting humans with animal viruses.

The authors concluded that it is "doubtful" whether xenotransplantation could ever be ethically acceptable, and recommended that xenotransplantation trials should not take place.

"For the moment, it would be inappropriate to proceed to clinical trials, and ultimately it may be that, if no resolution of these matters can be found, there will never be a time when this is appropriate," wrote Maclean and Williamson in a summary of the report, obtained recently by the Scotland on Sunday newspaper.

The review, which clearly advises against xenotransplantation, was commissioned by the United Kingdom Xenotransplantation Interim Regulatory Authority (UKXIRA), a government committee set up in 1997 to advise ministers about the controversial research.

However, the first draft was rejected by the Department of Health for being ‘too long’ for policy advisors to read.

A second shorter draft has now also been rejected without explanation, despite predominantly positive reviews.

"It’s now clearer than ever that a pro-xenotransplantation policy has already been stitched-up between the Government and industry," commented Dan Lyons, director of the anti-vivisection group ‘Uncaged’, which is now mounting a campaign to pressure the government to publish the review.

"The Government and UKXIRA pledged to consider all the relevant moral and scientific issues and keep the acceptability of xenotransplantation under review. That seems to have been a smokescreen, designed to give the impression of open and democratic government," he said.

Announcements made by xenotransplantation companies such as Imutran in 1995 claimed human trials of pig organs were just around the corner.

However, revelations of severe animal suffering, a lack of progress and the risk of viruses jumping the species barrier from pigs to humans have combined to raise widespread serious concerns about the desirability of pursuing xenotransplantation.

A government spokesman said the xenotransplantation committe had considered the report by the medical ethics experts and "concluded that it made some useful discussion points," but that the government had "no plans to publish" the whole review.

"The reality is that the Government is prepared to send animals to a truly horrific fate and endanger public health, simply to help prop up confidence in what amounts to bio-alchemy," said Lyons. "We shall be protesting vociferously and pursuing all available means to hold the Government to account for its disreputable conduct."

© 2003 Animal News Center, Inc.