Americans For Medical Advancement

Americans For Medical Advancement (AFMA) is a 501(c)(3) science-based patient advocacy organization dedicated to improving policy and decision-making regarding the use of the animalmodel in biomedical research and drug testing. Fact|date=July 2008 They oppose the use of animals only as models for predicting human response.Fact|date=July 2008 For example ADMET, efficacy testing, and medical research where results from animal-based research is assumed predictive for humans.Fact|date=July 2008 Scientifically, such uses are known as using animals as causal analogical models.Fact|date=July 2008

They want to see drugs come to market faster, safer and cheaper and want to see medical research funding directed to more relevant areas of research. As such they recommend:1. eliminating the FDA and EPA requirements for animal testing, as they cost money, slow drugs to market, are simply ineffective, and prevent good drugs from coming to market;2. that granting bodies like the NIH stop encouraging “animal models of…” research, as this approach assumes animals are causal analogical models and is therefore inconsistent with current scientific knowledge.Fact|date=July 2008

Equally important, in their opinion, is the fact that animals can be successfully used in many other areas of science such as basic science research.Fact|date=July 2008 They are in favor of such use.Fact|date=July 2008 This distinction separates them from the animal protection groups.Fact|date=July 2008Most organizations that oppose testing on animals do so on ethical grounds related to the suffering of animals.Fact|date=July 2008 AFMA has a unique mission in illustrating the lack of validity in the animal model in drug testing and animal-based research for human disease.Fact|date=July 2008 Although some supporters may be pro-animal, most are not.Fact|date=July 2008 The unifying factor for their supporters is their understanding that the animal model is not valid for predicting drug response and other features of human disease.Fact|date=July 2008The stakeholders in this debate are: patients, current and future; their family and friends; the pharmaceutical, medical device and biotech industries; shareholders in the aforementioned industries; taxpayers; health insurance companies; consumers and society at large.Fact|date=July 2008AFMA claims that animal models harm rather than help human health and divert money away from more useful forms of research: "Animal-modeled biomedical research yields results that cannot be safely applied to humans. It diverts research dollars that should be going to proven methods of curing human disease."Fact|date=July 2008

Dr. Ray Greek is president of AFMA, as well as Europeans For Medical Advancement (Europeans for Medical Progress is a separate and distinct group which Dr Greek does not support) and Japanese For Medical Advancement.Fact|date=July 2008He is science advisor to the National Anti-Vivisection Society (Chicago, IL), and is husband of co-founder Jean Swingle Greek, a veterinarian who is also active in many of these groups.Fact|date=July 2008

Critics of the group, such as the similarly-named Americans for Medical Progress, dismiss it as a shell organization that "exists primarily as a website to publicize the views and promote the book" of founders Ray and Jean Greek, and assert that it ignores the significant medical advances made through animal-based research.Fact|date=July 2008 [1] AFMA contends their website and books contain thousands of references to the scientific literature which supports their position.Fact|date=July 2008

The arguments used by Americans For Medical Advancement are similar to those used by Europeans for Medical Progress but the 2 groups also differ in areas.Fact|date=July 2008 Some aspects of the arguments have been deemed inaccurate and misleading according to a ruling [2] of the Advertising Standards Authority - an independent watchdog making sure all advertising meets the standards laid down in UK advertising codes.Fact|date=July 2008 This group however has no official role in setting standards and Dr Greek answered their criticisms without receiving a reply from them.Fact|date=July 2008

AFMA strongly recommends that people study all sides of the issue before deciding whether animal models are scientifically tenable.Fact|date=July 2008

References

* [http://www.curedisease.com Americans for Medical Advancement]
* [http://www.animalrights.net/archives/related_topics/organizations/pro_ar/americans_for_medical_advancement.html Anti-AFMA site]