Small PETA protest held Tuesday outside of Pfizer in Groton
Groton — Two demonstrators held signs and stood outside Pfizer on Shennecossett Road about noon Tuesday in a small protest of a type of animal testing.
Ashley Byrne, associate director with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, held a sign with a mouse in a beaker that said "PFIZER: Ban Forced Swim Tests Now!" Next to her, PETA volunteer Bruno Venero wore a lip balm tube costume that said "CrapStick" and had an image of a drowning mouse. Pfizer manufactures ChapStick brand lip balm.
Six City of Groton police officers stood at the site of the protest in front of Pfizer's east gate. In a statement, the police department called it a "small peaceful protest" and said the department "was on hand to ensure the civil rights/liberties of the protesters, along with the rights of the Pfizer Corporation were not compromised."
"PETA is asking Pfizer to put an end to their use of the forced swim test, which is an archaic and cruel experiment that many of their counterparts have deemed completely unnecessary," Byrne said. She said PETA also recently protested at Pfizer's headquarters in Manhattan and outside of a shareholder meeting.
PETA said in a news release that the test entails placing mice and small animals in "inescapable beakers filled with water and made to swim to keep from drowning, purportedly to shed light on human depression," but claimed the test was "less accurate than a coin toss in determining the effectiveness of antidepressant medications."
Pfizer said it has not used the test in a decade. In its emailed statement, the company said it believes "PETA’s assertions about Pfizer and the 'forced swim test' (FST) are misleading."
"Pfizer spoke with PETA in February to share our perspective regarding their concerns about the FST," the statement read. "In that call, we explained that since 2009, no Pfizer-operated research facility had used the FST, and Pfizer has no plans to fund, use or commission the use of this test."
"We recognize that ensuring the health, welfare and well-being of our research animals is not only an ethical imperative, but also fundamental to good scientific outcomes in the discovery and development of important new medicines for patients," the company's statement continued.
The Groton City police also said in their statement: "The protest was a success as the protesters were able to get their message out with no arrests being made."
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