¿Vegan Vaccines?

With today's new technologies to combat the pandemic, vaccines have given rise to another current controversy that has arisen over their manufacture and the involvement of animals.

COVID-19 vaccines have the claim to contain no eggs or animal products, according to the UK's National Health Service (NHS). Pfizer, Moderna, and Janssen have declared that their vaccines are free of animal-derived ingredients.

Image 1: Monkeys are animals enormously relevant for traditional vaccine development.

Although the vaccine does not contain ingredients of animal origin, many animals perish in the developing process of the vaccine. To ensure proper use in humans; until the government approves the release to the market.

Animals serve as the system for checking medical studies and not harming humans in the drug development process. Consequently, 3 out of 10 or more animals do not survive the tests; they die from the damage caused by the drugs; those that survive are euthanized, which means that all the animals that enter, none left.

Image 2: The new methods seek to eliminate animal testing, for the most part.

The animals most used in these experimentation tests are rats, mice, monkeys, rabbits, fish, and shrews; even cats, dogs, and many more.

The tests seek to determine the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, from unknown injections to pills, and meticulously engineered gloomy artifacts are the instruments used in the tests. They subdue laboratory animals. In the end, the episode is similar to a medieval torture scene.

Wrong handling of these substances is vastly dangerous, and in its development phase, even more. Massive numbers of humans would die every day if it were not for experimentation in animals; for this reason, scientists acclaim that the need to use animals to develop and test these vaccines it's real, and partly it is.

Image 3: Forced Swim test; drug administration also provokes malformations and systemic damage.

The research animal is chosen with many factors in mind, such as predisposition. For example, Denmark's mink and their strong coronavirus predisposition made them a prime test subject, just like other animals. Thanks to the animals, the people have vaccines, and we can feel the hope of ending the pandemic.

However, this does not justify an excess. There are other much more technological methods to evaluate the safety and efficacy of vaccines as cosmetics. But they are too expensive, and large companies prefer to save on these expenses.

The cost is due to the high technology of these systems; for now, it is very likely that the experimentation in animals will continue, even that it will increase since the governments require to commercialize the drugs. All this will happen as technology advances, more accessible and optimal methods are under research, and in the sights for the functionality verification in humans of the vaccines under development.

Image 4: Honor to masses of deceased mice and their contribution to science; in Russia.

"Some of my vegan friends are reluctant to get the COVID-19 vaccine. These vaccines do not contain animal products. Yet animals were used to develop and test them. For instance, early trials involved giving the vaccines to mice and macaque monkeys. So my friends say they feel uncomfortable having a product that uses animals in these ways. I am very sympathetic to their concerns. Animals are treated appallingly in the production of many goods and many areas of life."  says Ben Bramble, philosopher, and lecturer.