Internationally, the Forced Swim Test is being scrutinised heavily, and even pharmaceutical giants and universities are acknowledging that the use of this test has to end.¹

Following international pressure from a PETA campaign, more and more pharmaceutical companies have ended the use of the Forced Swim Test.

Examples include:

• Pfizer²‍
• Johnson & Johnson³‍
• Roche Pharma⁴‍
• AbbVie⁵‍
• Bristol-Myers Squibb⁶‍
• AstraZeneca⁷‍
• GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)⁸‍
• Bayer⁹‍
• Boehringer Ingelheim¹⁰‍
• Novo Nordisk A/S⁷‍
• DSM Nutritional Products¹¹‍
• NutriFusion LLC¹²‍
• Astraea Therapeutics¹²‍
• Sage Therapeutics¹³‍

This means that seven of the top ten pharmaceutical companies worldwide (and 10 of the top 20) in terms of revenue¹⁴ have committed to no longer using the Forced Swim Test.

Universities that have ended the use of the Forced Swim Test:

• King’s College (London)¹⁵‍
• The University of Adelaide (Australia)¹⁶
• The University of South Australia (Australia)¹⁷
• Universidad del Valle (Latin America)¹⁸

The Victor Chang Institute in Sydney, Australia, has also banned the use of the Forced Swim Test.¹⁹

Other noteworthy wins

In April 2021, the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration finalised the regulation to end all animal tests for marketing foods and beverages using dubious anti-fatigue health claims.²⁰

In December 2023, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in Australia stated that they will no longer fund projects using the Forced Swim Test as a model for human depression or anxiety.²¹ NHMRC is the main funder of medical research in Australia so this announcement will have a significant impact on both animals and science.

In March 2024, New South Wales became the first state in Australia to officially ban the Forced Swim Test!²²