I was appalled to learn that BARDA and MediciNova are carrying out tests that subject sheep and mice to chlorine gas exposure to study the effect of the drug ibudilast to counter it.

These experiments are wholly unjustified. Ibudilast’s safety profile is already well-established through long-term human use and both human and animal trials. BARDA also has access to multiple superior lung models that more accurately mimic the human lung, in addition to an $8.3 million contract with the University of Pennsylvania to design a lung chip specifically for studying chlorine gas exposure.

Furthermore, these experiments are part of the BARDA DRIVe initiative, which is described as an innovative program focused on “developing medical countermeasures through emerging non-animal methods.” Using live animals for chlorine gas testing of ibudilast is clearly totally out of step with the DRIVe initiative.

In light of all this, animal tests are entirely unjustified. 

I respectfully request that you immediately end these cruel and unwarranted chlorine gas experiments on animals.