Pharmaceutical production using animal-derived biologics — including monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, and insulin — involves animals whose welfare ranges from well-monitored to poorly regulated.
Pharmaceutical production from animal sources spans a welfare spectrum — from cell-line production that requires no living animals, to horseshoe crab bleeding that kills a significant fraction of animals bled, to horse hyperimmunization programs. Each represents a point at which animal welfare and pharmaceutical necessity intersect. Recombinant alternatives to horseshoe crab LAL are approved by FDA and adopted in some contexts but not universally required. Transitioning pharmaceutical supply chains to non-animal production methods is achievable and welfare-positive.