The Regional Administrative Court of Lazio has suspended the renewal of authorization for telemetry-based testing on beagle dogs used in drug safety studies, siding with a legal challenge brought by the Lega Anti Vivisezione.

Judges argued that the pain and distress inflicted on animals—deemed “irreparable by nature”—outweigh the continuation of long-running research. The court has also ordered an independent technical review to clarify key scientific aspects before issuing a final ruling.

Pharmaceutical company Aptuit warned that the decision could jeopardize ongoing research into treatments for serious conditions, including cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, stressing that animal testing is used only when no viable alternatives exist.