Relevance of animal studies in regulatory toxicology: Current approaches and future opportunities

With rapidly increasing knowledge of toxicological processes, the scientific value and relevance of toxicity studies for risk assessment must be re-evaluated. In this paper, it is proposed that the rigid risk evaluation currently required should be replaced by a more flexible, case-by-case approach, in order to increase the relevance of each animal test conducted. The development of new types of toxicity studies and their application in risk evaluation are also described.