As you know, the American botulinum toxin manufacturer Allergan has received approval in the USA and the EU for an animal-free cell-based assay to test their products and in doing so has shown that it is possible to test botulinum toxin products without animal testing. It is absolutely unacceptable that your company still conducts cruel animal tests for the batch release of Dysport®. I am appalled at the treatment of the mice used in these tests, uncovered by the BUAV investigation at your contracted testing facility, Wickham Laboratories in the UK. As you know, for the LD50 test, groups of mice are injected with different doses of the substance in the abdomen. Many of the mice suffer from paralysis, impaired vision and respiratory distress. After up to three or four days of suffering, if left, they die of suffocation.

I urge you to stop the LD50 test on mice immediately and replace this cruel test with an animal-free alternative, either your own method or Allergan’s.

Until I am assured that you are no longer using the LD50 test, I will encourage all my friends not to use your botox products Dysport® and Azzalure®.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

[underskrift]

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Merz-Pharma GmbH & Co. KGaA                                                                                                                        [Dato]
Eckenheimer Landstrasse 100
60318 Frankfurt
Germany

Dear Sir/Madam

As you know, the American botulinum toxin manufacturer Allergan has received approval in the USA and the EU for an animal-free cell-based assay to test their products. By doing so, the company has shown that it is possible to test botulinum toxin products without animal testing.

It is absolutely unacceptable that your company still conducts cruel animal tests for the batch release of your product Xeomin®.

As you know, for the LD50 test, groups of mice are injected with different doses of the substance in the abdomen. The mice are subjected to terrible pain. They suffer from paralysis, impaired vision and respiratory distress. After up to three or four days of suffering, if left, they finally die of suffocation.

I urge you to stop the LD50 test on mice immediately and replace this cruel test with an animal-free alternative, either your own method or Allergan’s.

Until I am assured that you are no longer using the LD50 test, I will encourage all my friends not to use your botox products Xeomin® and Bocouture®.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

[underskrift]