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Berlin Prime Minister Michael Müller (SPD) has made animal experiments in medical research a top priority and therefore also announced that he will review the work of Justice Senator Dirk Behrendt (Greens) in this regard. . Animal experiments have to be “very sensitive”, Müller told the plenary session of the House of Representatives on Thursday, but at the same time take into account “science and business”, which represent numerous jobs and investments in Berlin.
Müller, who is also a Senator for Science, referred to the corona pandemic, in which the corresponding research would be needed for the development of vaccines: “And unfortunately that is only possible at this time through the use of animal experiments. ”. The trigger for the debate in the Red-Red-Green Coalition was Tagesspiegel’s investigation into the dispute between the investigators and the Senate.
As reported, first the heads of renowned scientific institutions, including the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) and Charité, then the boards of large pharmaceutical companies, such as Bayer and Pfizer, addressed the Senate. The fire letters indirectly warned that Behrendt’s policies could jeopardize medical research in Berlin: although animal experiments are being avoided, they are still needed in medical research.
In addition, it specifically dealt with the delayed approval of experiments by the commission responsible for animal experimentation, for which Senator for Justice and Consumer Protection Behrendt is politically responsible. The committee now has to organize itself “in close coordination with the administrations involved,” Müller said, calling himself the issue of animal welfare commissions, because in addition to responsible judicial administration and consumer protection, his is understood, scientific management.
His Secretary of State, Steffen Krach (SPD), had a public exchange of blows with Senator Behrendt. Krach looks after Charité’s own state university hospital in the Senate.
Science expert Adrian Grasse asked the Senate in plenary. The CDU deputy wanted to know why the new commissions announced by Behrendt a few days ago include twice as many animal rights activists as researchers.
So far, the commission has been made up of an ethicist, two animal rights activists and four researchers. The two new committees will each include an ethicist, a biostatistician, two scientists and four animal rights activists. Senate chief Müller called Behrendt’s announcement an “intermediate result” that “a new appointment is needed for the future.” However, one of the two commissions is scheduled to begin on November 26.
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Opposition politician Grasse later said at the request: “It is right for the ruling mayor to use his authority to issue directives and not leave this important issue to Senator Behrendt. This also applies to the composition of the Animal Experimentation Commission. I can only hope that the current judicial administration proposal, according to which representatives of science would only constitute a minority, is really only an interim result. “
It was not possible to find out whether Müller actually made formal use of the ruling mayor’s authority to issue guidelines. It was said from coalition circles that Müller’s “announcement” in plenary was clear enough to assume that the green politician Behrendt was now cooperating more closely with the scientific administration.
