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Drugs companies based in Switzerland breathed a sigh of relief this
week, as Swiss voters threw out a proposal that would have placed strict
limits on animal experiments. In a referendum on Sunday, the Swiss Animal
Protection League asked voters to support a proposal which would make it
much more difficult for researchers to win a licence to experiment on animals.
The proposal was defeated only narrowly, with 56 per cent voting against
the plan.

Regula Schwarzenbach, a spokeswoman for the league, says that the result
indicates that a growing number of people are in favour of curtailing experiments
on live animals. In 1985, a referendum calling for a total ban on animal
experiments was opposed by 70 per cent of the electorate.

Under Swiss law, any proposal backed by 100 000 signatures can be put
to a referendum. The league gathered 130 000 names. Worried by the league’s
support, the Swiss parliament decided in December to strengthen the
law on animal protection. The changes include a clearer definition of what
is meant by research that is ‘absolutely necessary for human or animal health’.
They also made it obligatory for the licensing boards of each canton to
include representatives of the league.

These changes failed to satisfy the league. It wanted a still clearer
definition of ‘absolutely necessary’ and more openness about the type of
research being done – a move strongly opposed by drug companies. The league
also wanted the right to challenge in court any licence already issued.

‘The people have clearly spoken out in favour of protecting animals.
We’re going to have to enforce the December law conscientiously,’ says Regula
Vogel of the Swiss Federal Office for Veterinary Affairs.

Å®ÉúСÊÓƵs claim that a few outspoken antivivisectionists are manipulating
public opinion. ‘About 1 per cent of the population is really fanatically
opposed to all research, but they’re very effective at influencing other
people,’ says Urs Meyer, head of the pharmacology department at the University
of Basel. ‘In basic research, it is not always possible to prove in advance
that the experiments you’re doing are ‘absolutely necessary’ to help sick
patients. If the initiative had passed it would have affected our research
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