Representative of Group Will Grill Biotech Company Execs About Repeated Violations of Federal Animal Welfare Laws

Westlake Village, Calif.--Crouched in cages to mimic conditions for animals in laboratories, PETA members--under a banner that reads, "Amgen Tortures Animals in Labs"--will confront shareholders at Amgen's annual meeting in Westlake Village on Wednesday. Inside the meeting, a PETA representative will read a statement in support of PETA's shareholder resolution calling on the biotech giant to report on what steps it has taken to resolve numerous violations of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) that have been cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA):

During each of five USDA inspections of Amgen's animal laboratories between November 2004 and July 2006, multiple violations were noted--including unclean rooms where rabbits were experimented on, excessive amounts of blood drawn from animals, and inadequate record-keeping. The company's most recent reports filed with the USDA state that hundreds of rabbits and guinea pigs were subjected to "pain and distress without any relief." These and other violations also contradict statements on Amgen's Web site in which the company claims to meet or exceed all local, national, and international animal welfare regulations.

Animals used for experiments spend their lives in cramped cages and are denied everything that is natural and important to them. They are often subjected to repeated and painful experiments as well as outright abuse. Despite the availability of modern, reliable, humane alternatives--including computer and mathematical models, human tissue and cell cultures, and clinical and epidemiological studies--Amgen continues to torment and kill animals, including dogs, rabbits, and rodents.

"Amgen has repeatedly violated federal animal welfare laws, and shareholders have a right to know what their company is doing--if anything--to stop these abuses," says PETA Director of Regulatory Testing Jessica Sandler.