Crab blood to remain big pharma's standard as industry group rejects substitute

Animal rights groups have been pushing a synthetic alternative to horseshoe crab blood in drug safety testingHorseshoe crabs ’ icy-blue blood will remain the drug industry’s standard for safety tests after a powerful US group ditched a plan to give equal status to a synthetic substitute pushed by Swiss biotech Lonza and animal welfare groups.The crabs ’ copper-rich blood clots in the presence of bacterial endotoxins and haslong been used in tests to detect contamination in shots and infusions.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Wildlife Pharmaceuticals industry Environment Science Marine life Oceans Conservation Endangered species Source Type: news