NIH’s Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) allows Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs) to simplify how certain changes can be made to active animal protocols. OLAW’s August 26, 2014 Guidance on Significant Changes to Animal Activities (NOT-OD-14-126) explains how IACUCs can use a procedure called Veterinary Verification and Consultation (VVC) to expedite these changes.
The first step is for the IACUC to establish standard operating procedures, guidance documents and/or drug formularies to be used when modifying approved protocols. VVC may be used for changes in:
- Anesthesia, analgesia, sedation, or experimental substances;
- Euthanasia method if the new method is approved by the AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals; or
- The duration, frequency, type, or number of procedures performed if there is no increase in pain, distress, or invasiveness.
IACUCs should notify investigators about protocol changes that are eligible for VVC. If an investigator believes that one of these changes is needed, they should contact an authorized veterinarian who will determine whether the proposed change is covered by IACUC-approved guidance. If so, it is up to the veterinarian to decide whether the proposed change is appropriate, in which case it can go into effect immediately. However, the change must be documented.
The following changes are not eligible for VVC:
- Changing from non-survival to survival surgery;
- Adding procedures that result in greater pain, distress, or invasiveness;
- Changing housing conditions or using animals in a location that is not overseen by the IACUC;
- Changing the species;
- Changing study objectives;
- Changing the Principal Investigator; or
- Changes that impact personnel safety.
The above changes still require review either by the full IACUC or by a designated member.
Additional resources:
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