Charles River

Charles River Laboratories (CR) is an international contract research organization (CRO) and laboratory animal breeding company. Firms hire CROs to conduct toxicity animal testing for agrochemicals, petrochemicals, household products, pharmaceuticals and toxins. Charles River was founded in 1947 and has its headquarters in Wilmington, Massachusetts. It has 8,700 employees in 70 facilities in 70 countries. ^[1] Charles River is the world's largest supplier of laboratory animals. It has been described as the "General Motors of the laboratory animal industry." ^[2]

In 2006, 26,638 primates were imported into the US; a 44% increase over 2004. The three companies responsible for over 75% of all of these imports were Covance Laboratories, SNBL and Charles River at 5,359 monkeys that year. Cynomolgus macaques made up 92% followed by rhesus macaques, marmosets, squirrel monkeys and other macaques. Half were imported primates were from China. ^[3]

Animal testing

Animals by species, numbers & locations (United States)

Wilmington, MA ^[4]

Boston University, Charles River Campus, Boston, MA ^[5]

For links to copies of this facility's U.S. Department of Agriculture reports indicating species, number of animals used and other information visit Stop Animal Experimentation Now Facility Reports and Information, U.S. Department of Agriculture-Animal Plant Health Inspection reports. This Web site lists each of the 50 states; each state's name links to biomedical research facilities in that state, and to PDF copies of government documents where the facilities must report their animal usage.

Animal cruelty & welfare violations

Stop Animal Exploitation NOW! (SAEN) is a national research watchdog organization. ^[6] SAEN has included Charles River among the worst violators of U.S. laws. Charles River amassed 22 violations in one monitoring period, including an incident which left dozens of dogs with bleeding paws. (Government reports and ranking statistics available upon request.) ^[7]

Shamrock Farm live animal imports: United Kingdom

In 1998, almost all of the 2,467 macaques used in British laboratories came through Shamrock Farm. It was owned by Bausch and Lomb (sunglasses, eye wear) and run by Charles River. Shamrock farm closed in 2000 after a 15-month campaign by "Save the Shamrock Monkeys." ^[8] According to "Shamfacts," primates imported from Mauritius, the Philippines and China were packed in tiny crates, often too small for them to stand, for up to two and a half days. Subsequently, up to 300 monkeys were kept in tiny cages inside of dark Portakabins. The monkeys were quarantined for up to two months before being sold for vivisection. Following campaigns exposing the cruel conditions of monkeys being transported on long flights, many airlines and ferry companies refused to transport animals for Shamrock. Shamrock customers included Huntingdon Life Sciences, SmithKline Beecham, GaxoWellcome and Inveresk Clinical Research. ^[9]

32 monkeys die from over heating

In CR's Sparks, Nevada facility, thirty-two research monkeys died from over heating due to human error. In a statement issued by the company, the monkeys died on May 28, 2008 due to an "incorrect climate-control operation", which was immediately reported. However, animal advocates contested that CR reported the incident immediately, or even at all. According to Kathy Guillermo of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) did not open an inquiry until PETA filed a complaint in July.

"Their statement about fears for their own safety is absurd. They have an abysmal record of animal care. As usual, they are more interested in their reputation than in the animals' safety. According to the whistleblower in the case, the monkeys were literally cooked to death by a heating system failure', which demonstrates a lack of a simple alarm system and/or proper supervision." ^[10]

Former employee animal abuse lawsuit

A former employee of Charles River filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Reno that the company forced him out over age discrimination and his opposition to the treatment of dogs at the facility. Guy Grimsley, age 65, was hired in 2007 to work at Charles River's Sparks, Nevada facility. According to Mr. Grimsley, the firing was due to his position on "unlawful and wrongful animal testing," which he had vowed to oppose. Grimsley, who has a doctorate in pathology and immunology, had been recruited by CR in 2006. In May of 2006 he learned that the lab was planning to conduct experiments involving "severe dog tethering," which they knew he would oppose. Mr. Grimsley had informed the company of European standards requiring dog runs rather than cages. According to Mr. Grimsley, officials had also instructed staff to lie to clients about the dogs' living conditions. Grimsley maintains that he was "summarily terminated" without notice in October. A recent performance evaluation had described his work as "outstanding." ^[11]

Multiple violations, monkey & rabbit maiming

According to SAEN, CR violated the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) ^[12] over 20 times in 2006 and another 11 times in the first half of 2007, even after an official warning by the USDA in 2005. Government documents revealed a 2006 incident at a CR site in Philadelphia, where rabbits developed 4 ½ inch skin lesions without veterinary treatment. There were also serious issues about painful experiments without anesthesia. An episode at a Massachusetts site demonstrated that one primate had serious mental pathologies. In 2006, CRL amassed over 20 violations in the areas of veterinary care, Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC), feeding, housing, sanitation, environmental enhancement, and report filing. USDA/APHIS Animal Care inspection reports reveal four incidents in CR's Nevada laboratory, where negligent handling of resulted in injuries severe enough to warrant amputation of a monkeys’ fingers in 2007. Other 2007 citations included primary enclosures, sanitation, housing and unqualified personnel. (Government reports are available upon request.) ^[13]

Photos reveal stark conditions

Photographs obtained from the USDA through the Freedom of Information Act in 2008, revealed cramped and barren conditions "with the potential to cause madness" at CR's Sparks facility. According to SAEN executive Director, Michael A. Budkie:

“These enclosures are nothing more than tiny stainless steel barred boxes. If the goal is to cause insanity in primates, then I am sure they are probably succeeding.”

In the wild, a rhesus monkey may traverse as much as one square mile in a single day.^[14]

Quotable

"There isn't a single genetically manipulated mouse that has been used yet to produce a drug that cures a disease."
Kathleen Murray of Charles River (the world's largest laboratory animal breeding company) ^[15]

CR & other organizations

As part of its "Humane Care Initiative," the "Charles River Prize" was established in 1977 "to recognize distinguished contributions to laboratory animal science and to promote educational growth in that field." Recipients must be members of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) in the field of animal testing. The award is $2,500 and a plaque. ^[16], ^[17] The AMVA reliably lobbies against animal welfare issues and legislation in favor of industry concerns. See also American Veterinary Medical Association, sections 1 & 2.

Lobbying & public relations

Americans for Medical Progress's (AMP) board of directors consists of senior executives and other representatives employed by the pharmaceutical and vivisection industries. Board members represent multinational, billion dollar corporations as well as universities and institutions receiving government grants for vivisection. They include: Charles River, Abbott Laboratories, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Wyeth. ^[18]

In the fiscal year ending in 2008, Charles River paid $40,000 to Policy Directions Inc. ^[19]

Aquisitions & mergers

During the fiscal year ending December 27, 2008, the company acquired NewLab BioQuality AG and MIR Preclinical Services. ^[20]

Inveresk & R.J. Reynolds

In July of 2004, Charles River Laboratories International merged with Inveresk Research Group, Inc. ^[21] Inveresk is doing R.J. Reynolds analogue studies in Edinborough. <tdo>resource_id=29484 resource_code=inveresk_cl_res search_term=Inveresk Clinical Research</tdo>

Finances

Charles River's annual revenues for the fiscal year ending in 2008 were 1.34 billion dollars. ^[22]

Board of Directors

James C. Foster, Chairman, President & CEO
Nancy T. Chang, Ph.D., Managing Director, OrbiMed Advisors
Stephen D. Chubb, Former Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, Matritech, Inc.
Deborah Kochevar, DVM, PhD, DACVCP
Dean Cummings, School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University
George E. Massaro, Director and Vice Chairman, Huron Consulting Group, Inc.
George M. Milne, Jr., Ph.D., President of Central Research, Pfizer, Inc.
C. Richard Reese, Chairman and CEO, Iron Mountain, Inc.
Douglas E. Rogers, Partner, Blackstone Healthcare Partners LLC
Samuel O. Thier, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital
William Waltrip, Ret. Chairman & CEO, Bausch & Lomb, Inc.

^[23]

Contact

Charles River
251 Ballardvale Street
Wilmington, MA 01887
Phone: (978) 658-6000
Fax: (978) 658-7132
^[24]

Website: http://www.criver.com/en-US/Pages/home.aspx

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