Pharmaceutical Customers
Major pharmaceutical companies — including Pfizer, Merck, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, Novartis, Roche, Eli Lilly, Bristol-Myers Squibb, AbbVie, and GSK — rely on beagle testing for regulatory submissions. Most use contract research organizations rather than conducting studies in-house. NIH funded $200 million to 200 institutions for 303 dog projects between 2015-2019, and closed its last beagle lab in May 2025. Per-company dog usage is not routinely published.
The Major Buyers
The largest pharmaceutical companies in the world use beagles in their drug development programs. The principal names include:
- Pfizer
- Merck
- Johnson & Johnson
- AstraZeneca
- Novartis
- Roche
- Eli Lilly
- Bristol-Myers Squibb
- AbbVie
- GSK
These companies require non-rodent toxicology data for regulatory submissions to the FDA, EMA, and other agencies. The two-species testing paradigm means every new drug candidate must be tested in both a rodent and a non-rodent species before human trials can begin.
The CRO Shield
Most major pharmaceutical companies do not breed or house beagles themselves. They contract the work to contract research organizations — companies like Charles River Laboratories, Covance (now Labcorp Drug Development), and Inotiv. The CRO conducts the study, maintains the animals, and delivers the data package.
This model has a practical consequence for accountability: per-company dog usage is not routinely published. A pharmaceutical company can truthfully state that it does not maintain beagle colonies while funding hundreds of beagle studies per year through CROs. The CRO model shields pharma companies from direct public scrutiny of their animal use.
NIH Funding
The National Institutes of Health is a significant funder of dog research. Between 2015 and 2019, NIH directed approximately $200 million to 200 institutions for 303 projects involving dogs. This funding flows primarily to academic institutions and government laboratories rather than pharmaceutical companies, but it sustains the same supply chain.
In May 2025, NIH closed its last beagle laboratory. This was a milestone, though its practical significance is limited — the majority of beagle research funded by NIH occurs at grantee institutions, not in NIH's own facilities.
Transparency Gap
No pharmaceutical company routinely publishes the number of beagles used in its drug development programs. Some publish aggregate animal use figures in sustainability reports, but these are typically not broken down by species, and they may or may not include animals used by CROs on the company's behalf. The data gap makes it impossible to attribute specific numbers of dogs to specific companies.
The Economic Relationship
Pharmaceutical companies are the ultimate source of demand in the beagle trade. Breeders supply CROs, CROs serve pharma, and pharma needs the data for regulatory approval. The economic chain is clear even when the contractual relationships are opaque.
Sources
- 1.NIH Funding Records, 2015-2019. Analysis of grants supporting dog research across 200 institutions.
- 2.Corporate Sustainability Reports, various. Aggregate animal use disclosures from major pharmaceutical companies.
- 3.White Coat Waste Project Analysis, various. Tracking of federal funding for dog research.