JAN Creamer incorrectly claims, Points of view, April 6, that amendments to the new EU laws governing animal research that the European Parliament's agriculture committee has voted through would seriously weaken proposals from the European Commission.

These amendments in fact correct rules that would have slowed down or even stopped important medical research in Europe for no corresponding benefit to animal welfare.

As amended by the agriculture committee, the revisions to the EU laws on animal research strike an excellent balance between supporting and encouraging top-flight medical research in Europe on the one hand and ensuring proper oversight of this research and due regard for animal welfare on the other.

Animal research has played a key role in developing many therapies that we now take for granted, including everything from antibiotics to heart transplants, and continues to be vital in fields as diverse as stem cell medicine and the discovery of effective treatments for genetic diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy. In particular, research using monkeys is crucial to the development of new treatments for neurological conditions such as Parkinson's disease and the development of vaccines against HIV.

For this reason all the major medical research charities in the UK support the amendments the agriculture committee has proposed. If you value the contribution made by British and European scientists to medical progress, please contact your MEPs and remind them to remember the patients when they vote on the new rules in May.

Paul Browne,

Pro-Test,

Oxford

(by email)