Inside STAT: As Congress scrutinizes an increase in monkey research, scientists defend its necessity

A RHESUS MACAQUE. (JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

Lawmakers are ramping up their scrutiny of the use of nonhuman primates in research. Since 2015, the use of monkeys and other such primates has increased by 22% — and Congress is asking the NIH and the FDA to explain why. Animal rights activists are praising the move, claiming that the animals are in pain and psychological distress. But scientists who rely on the animals for research are pushing back. They say that some diseases like ALS, Alzheimer’s, and HIV can only be studied in such models, and that mice and computer models won’t suffice. STAT’s Ruth Hailu has more here.