D. Galitsky L'viv National Medical School
Department of Pharmacology
Our project is increasingly spreading through word-of-mouth recommendations. This is a very pleasing development, as it shows that the university teachers are satisfied with the animal-free education. The contact with the L'viv Medical University was established by the lecturers of the Department of the Technology of Bioactive Substances, Pharmacy and Biotechnology at L'viv National University, with whom we signed an agreement in 2008.
Prof Oleh Pinyazhko, head of the Department of Pharmacology, stated that he conducts animal experiments on 3,150 animals (900 frogs, 1,200 mice, 150 rabbits, 150 guinea pigs) every year. This is the number of animals used in Soviet times. Today, far fewer animals are used - mainly for financial reasons. He estimates the actual number at 1,800 animals. The pharmacological effect of various substances on the nerves, central nervous system and other organ systems is demonstrated.
Around 400 medical, dental and pharmacy students attend the pharmacology course every year.
The agreement was signed on 10 December 2010. We donated a projector and a range of multimedia programmes to the department. In return, all animal experiments will be discontinued from 30 June 2011.
It should not go unmentioned that, unfortunately, we repeatedly encounter university lecturers who insist on the traditional animal experiments. Presentations of humane teaching materials to heads of other departments at the universities visited often fall on deaf ears. It remains to be hoped that the good example set by the committed lecturers will set a precedent in the long term. In any case, the overall balance of our project is more than positive.
Dr Corina Gericke hands over a projector to Prof Oleg Pinyazhko, Head of the Department of Pharmacology in L'viv. Additionally numerous multimedia programmes and video films dubbed into Russian were given.
Keeping rats in homemade, standard household plastic boxes.
Control visit
The control visit took place on 6 October 2011. The animal-free materials are in use. Everyone is satisfied.