FDA Terminates Controversial Nicotine Study That Killed Four Monkeys

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is terminating a study into the effects of nicotine that sparked public outcry after four squirrel monkeys died as a result of the research.

Squirrel Monkey Photo — This is a photo of a squirrel monkey, not unlike the ones killed during the study into nicotine that the FDA recently terminated. (Image via Pixabay)

Researchers behind the study were injecting adolescent and adult monkeys, 24 in total, with nicotine doses in a bid to study how the addictive chemical is metabolized inside the body and also to determine just how long it takes for the monkeys to develop an addiction to the chemical.

Dr. Jane Goodall, widely considered to be the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees, wrote an open letter to the FDA that received widespread attention in which she referred to the study as “taxpayer-funded torture.” Her letter, which was published back in September of 2017, reads in part:

“I was especially horrified to read that during the course of these experiments, each monkey is locked alone in a cage for nearly three years. For such social and intelligent animals this, together with the horrific experiments themselves, is tantamount to taxpayer-funded torture. I am told that the FDA has resisted releasing the videos of these cruel experiments and this I find extremely troubling.”

She referred to ongoing experiments on monkeys involving nicotine as “shameful” given that “the results of smoking are well-known in humans.”

“To continue performing nicotine experiments on monkeys when the results of smoking are well-known in humans—whose smoking habits can still be studied directly—is shameful. I’m sure that most Americans would be horrified to learn their tax dollars are paying for this abuse.”

The same month Dr. Goodall’s open letter was published, the FDA suspended the study. On Friday, the administration announced that the study would be terminated and the surviving monkeys are to be relocated to a permanent sanctuary home.

In addition to terminating the program, the FDA indicates that there is now a third-party investigation being conducted by an independent party with the aim of looking into the administration’s animal research program.