Notice Number: NOT-OD-15-079

Key Dates
Release Date: March 17, 2015

Issued by
National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Purpose

This Notice is to inform Public Health Service (PHS) awardee institutions that the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Policy) has been updated.

Background

The Health Research Extension Act of 1985 provided the legislative mandate for the PHS Policy establishing guidelines for the use of animals in research. The PHS Policy applies to all research, research training, and biological testing activities that use live vertebrate animals. Institutions receiving PHS funding through grants, contracts or cooperative agreements for research involving animal subjects are required to comply with the PHS Policy. The PHS Policy was last revised in 2002 to allow institutions to provide Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval subsequent to peer review but prior to award ("Just-in-Time").

2015 Revision of the PHS Policy

The PHS Policy has been updated and the 2015 revision reflects the following changes:

• Adoption of the 8th Edition of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Guide)
• Implementation of the 2013 Edition of the American Veterinary Medical Association Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals (AVMA Guidelines - PDF)
• Modification to footnotes 2, 7, 9, 11, and 13 requiring that PHS-Assured institutions comply with U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations that are applicable to their programs
• Change in OLAW contact information
• Minor grammatical corrections

Formats available:

• Electronic: PDF file can be downloaded at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/references/PHSPolicyLabAnimals.pdf
• Print: print copies can be requested by e-mail to [email protected]

Inquiries

For questions or further information, contact:

Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW)
Office of Extramural Research
National Institutes of Health
Telephone: 301-496-7163
Email: [email protected]