Protesters gather alleging animal abuse against testing lab in Posey Co.

MT. VERNON, Ind. (WFIE) - Volunteers from local animal shelters met at the Posey Humane Society on Friday to protest what they say is the mistreatment of animals at a nearby testing lab.

A report from the Humane Society of the U.S. claims that Inotiv in Mount Vernon has been mistreating primates and dogs. The report claims the company has around 80 dogs scheduled to be euthanized in May. The protesters are calling for the company to release the dogs.

Zack Risley founded the organization “End Animal Testing at Inotiv” in hopes of swaying the company.

“Now that this has come into the light, we’re hoping that we can open a line of communication with them and see what we can do,” Risley said.

14 News reached out to Inotiv officials when we first heard about the claims against them. Company leaders released a statement, saying they are reviewing the claims, but their research is legally required for developing life-saving medicines. This original statement is shown below:

On April 21, 2022, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) published a report claiming to have placed an infiltrator within one of Inotiv’s Indiana research facilities. Inotiv leadership has read HSUS’s press release and the corresponding report and is reviewing the claims contained therein.

Our mission at Inotiv is to help our clients realize the full potential of their scientific and medical research, which ultimately contributes to significant improvement in the lives of both humans and animals.

The research we do is legally required in the U.S. for developing lifesaving medicines, medical devices and biologics

We also reached out to them on Friday for a response to the protest. A company spokesperson released the following statement:

In the United States, any drug under development must be tested in a controlled environment to properly assess its safety before being tested on humans. This federally required testing is part of scientific research mandated by government agencies in the United States and around the world.

Inotiv provides biomedical research services to companies developing life-saving treatments that span a range of human diseases. In our Indiana facility, the drug being tested, if successful, will address a specific rare disease affecting newborns, infants and children. This drug must be tested and confirmed to be safe both in toxicity and in dosage before it advances to clinical trials in humans. For more information about the federally-mandated drug development process, please find several links to government information and other publicly available resources below.

Inotiv complies with all applicable federal, state and local regulations, as well as the Animal Welfare Act, and, at our Indiana and Maryland facilities, is accredited by AAALAC, the Association for the Accreditation and Assessment of Laboratory Animal Care International.

Copyright 2022 WFIE. All rights reserved.