The Three Rs in India.

Historically, the use of animals for research has been important in the biomedical sciences and in the field of toxicology, but there are ethical obligations on the scientific community to follow the Three Rs of animal experimentation1 (i.e. Refinement, Reduction and Replacement), whenever it is feasible. There are also scientific, economic and regulatory restrictions, as well as societal concerns, relating to the use of animals. As a result, there have been intense research and policy efforts to develop innovative and nonanimal alternatives to animal testing. These efforts focus on both in vitro and in silico approaches and methods. These models can produce quick, appropriate and useful results, and have reduced the use of animals.