International pharmaceutical company Novartis have earmarked their laboratory in Horsham, West Sussex, for immediate closure.

Novartis Horsham has confirmed laboratory animals are still housed at the site, although no longer any primates. When Merck, Sharpe Dohme (MSD) were closing a similar facility, in Oss, The Netherlands, all monkeys were released to the Anti-Vivisection Coalition (AVC) for retirement.

We ask Novartis to follow this lead, enter into a retirement scheme and release the former test animals from Horsham for re-homing.