Organization: Boston Scientific

Year: 2015

Resolved: Resolved: To promote accountability for animals used in experiments, the Board should issue an annual report to shareholders detailing clear plans to maximize the use of nonanimal testing methods and promote transparency in animal use for experiments in-house and at external laboratories.

Supporting Statement:Supporting Statement: Companies that conduct experiments on animals acknowledge that public sensitivities associated with doing so leave the companies vulnerable to public relations disasters and falling stock value when reports of abuse or neglect of animals surface. To protect shareholders' investments, it is important that our Company have a clear plan to maximize the use of nonanimal testing methods and to provide transparency in animal use. In 2013, a subsidiary of our Company held or used 220 dogs, 34 sheep, and 258 pigs in experiments and procedures. These figures do not include animals used in Boston Scientific experiments at external laboratories nor the vast numbers of animals not legally required to be counted. One of the dogs used in these experiments may have experienced unrelieved pain and suffering due to a software malfunction of an implanted cardiac defibrillator that delivered electrical shocks to the unsupervised, possibly conscious dog in his cage. This experiment was only approved for fully anesthetized animals because its use on conscious animals is known to cause suffering. This example highlights the importance of maximizing the use of nonanimal testing methods. It is also imperative that our Company promote transparency in its use of animals, including providing information on the types of animals used, housing conditions, and environmental enrichment provided. For example, our Company should ensure that the animals' social and behavioral needs are met both in-house and at external testing laboratories it uses. Scientific studies have shown that the stress resulting from a barren living environment and a lack of socialization with others of their species further skews results of the experiments conducted on animals and causes additional problems in interpreting the results of such experiments.1 Different guidelines exist to improve transparency. These guidelines are endorsed by a variety of entities, including scientific journals and funding bodies,2 and are followed by numerous companies. However, the reporting on animal use in experiments supported by our Company and in papers authored by our Company is woefully inadequate. For example, several recent studies3 report that "mongrel dogs" or "adult dogs" were used, but the reports do not provide further information about the animals. This lack of information causes concern that some of the dogs may have been former animal companions obtained from animal shelters or from individuals advertising dogs "free to good home."4 These examples highlight the need for the Company to report its strategy to maximize the use of nonanimal testing methods and to promote transparency in its use of animals. Shareholders cannot monitor what goes on behind the closed doors of the animal testing laboratories, so the Company must.