Merck & Co., the third biggest drug maker in the world, is the latest in a string of pharmaceutical companies to halt studies using chimpanzees. They say testing methods have evolved to a point where it is no longer necessary.
Dr. Josh Bloom of the American Council on Science and Health, a non-profit consumer health and advocacy organization, said the decline in chimp studies is also based on cost.
"The cost has become prohibitive," said Bloom who has a doctorate in chemistry and experience on drug research studies. Bloom said that chimpanzees can live longer than humans so the care of the animal goes on long after the study is over. Last June, Congress and the National Institutes of Health began retiring 90% of government-owned chimps to sanctuaries.