A 1-year toxicity study in dogs is no longer a scientifically justifiable core data requirement for the safety assessment of pesticides

Abstract

A review of publications on pesticides assessing the need for 1-year toxicity studies in dogs was performed. Four key peer-reviewed papers with different approaches investigated the value of a 1-year dog study in addition to a 3-month study. Despite different databases and approaches, each concluded with the recommendation to limit the testing of pesticides in dogs to a duration of 3 months. The combined weight of evidence presented in this review reinforces these independent conclusions. Therefore, the routine inclusion of a 1-year dog study as a mandated regulatory requirement for the safety assessment of pesticides is no longer justifiable and a globally harmonized approach should be taken to match the latest legislation of the European Union and the US EPA.