NIH published a request for comments, Laboratory Animal Welfare: Coordination and Harmonization of Regulations and Policies, in the Federal Register today. Per the notice the agency is “seeking information to improve the coordination of regulations and policies with respect to research with laboratory animals as required by the 21st Century Cures Act” in coordination with USDA and FDA to reduce administrative burden. The notice indicates that NIH, USDA and FDA are currently reviewing the recent FASEB-AAMC-COGR-NABR report Reforming Animal Research Regulations: Workshop Recommendations to Reduce Regulatory Burden, the National Academies report Optimizing the Nation’s Investment in Academic Research: A New Regulatory Framework for the 21st Century; and the National Science Board report Reducing Investigators’ Administrative Workload for Federally Funded Research among others. The notice seeks input on proposed actions and resources, including approaches not specifically mentioned in the notice. There is a 90 day comment period.
This is a great opportunity to help shape the future of regulatory oversight and we encourage you to submit constructive comments.