Covance
Encyclopedia
Covance, Inc. formerly Corning Incorporated, with headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey
, USA, is a contract research organization
(CRO), providing drug development and animal testing
services. According to its website, it is one of the largest companies of its kind in the world, with annual revenue
s of over US$1.9 billion, operations in more than 25 countries, and over 10,000 employees worldwide. It provides the world's largest central laboratory network, and employs a global team of clinical-trial professionals and cardiac-safety experts. It became a publicly traded company after being spun off by Corning, Inc., in 1997.
industries. As part of its clinical and non-clinical development services, Covance provides testing services to the environmental, food, and nutritional-supplement industries, and provides custom antibody
products and services to the research community for neurological disorders. It also offers cell-type-specific marker antibodies for neuroscience; suites of products for both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease; and an online antibody store, including phospho-specific and secondary antibodies.
Covance also provides commercialization services to pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical-device companies. Reimbursement and health economics consulting services are offered through its “Market Access Services” division, and post-approval services are provided through the company’s periapproval services group.
Covance's Nutrition division provides food and dietary supplements analysis services. In 2009 Covance and Kellogg announced that Covance will provide analytical chemistry, microbiology, and stability testing for Kellogg products, a deal valued at $42 million.
In May 2006, Covance also acquired Signet Laboratories, Inc., which is a provider of monoclonal antibodies used in the research of cancer, infectious disease and neurodegenerative disease. On August 6, 2008, Covance purchased early drug development facilities in Greenfield, Indiana, from Eli Lilly for $50-million. In a contract valued at $1.6-billion, Covance will provide Eli Lilly with drug development services for the next 10 years. Covance will also provide services to other pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients at the Greenfield site. Covance will assume ownership of the site and operations on or about October 1, 2008.
, offers antibody products and antibody-development services to the research community. CRP also deals in the import and sale of laboratory animals. It is the largest importer of primates
in the U.S. and the world's largest breeder of laboratory dogs.
According to its website, CRP provides canine
s, rabbit
s, and non-human primates
for testing
purposes. CRP has created and trademarked new breed
s of animals, including the "Mini-Mongrel" dog. The company also imports wild-caught primates. Covance's animal-testing programs and facilities are AAALAC-accredited, ISO 9001:2000-registered, OLAW
-assured, and USDA-research registered. The company claims that CRP programs and facilities are overseen by attending staff veterinarians and AALAS
-certified technicians.
was applied to the intact and abraded skin of New Zealand white rabbits
. The animals were said to have had difficulty breathing, some were unable to move, and some suffered from anal bleeding and bleeding from the penis. Former research chemist Robert Sharpe writes that, in the early 1980s, Hazleton in Harrogate stated that they had expertise in “non-standard” tests in the field of inhalation-testing and explosive gases, and used °non-standard” animal “models,” such as Japanese
and Bobwhite Quails, Light Sussex Hens, Ring Necked Pheasants and Starlings, Rainbow Trout, Mirror Carp and Fathead minnows.
In 2003, the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection
sent German journalist Friedrich Mülln undercover into the German Covance facility in Münster
, Europe's largest primate-testing center. There, Mülln obtained photographs, video, and other evidence of alleged abuse of monkeys and other non-human primates. The laboratory in Münster specializes in reproduction toxicology
and primate toxicology, which includes testing on pregnant primates. It is believed to be one of the largest users of non-human primates in Europe.
The undercover footage shows staff making monkeys dance in time to blaring pop music, handling them roughly, and screaming at them. The monkeys are shown isolated in small wire cages with little or no natural light and no environmental enrichment, and living with high noise levels caused by staff shouting and playing the radio. In response, Covance maintained that clips showing different technicians working in different buildings had been edited together, resulting in a sequence of events that did not take place.
Primatologist
Dr. Jane Goodall
described the living conditions of the monkeys as horrendous. "To see a monkey alone in a cage like that, with nothing to do so that they go completely crazed with boredom and sadness probably, it's deeply, deeply disturbing." Primatologist Stephen Brend told BUAV
that using monkeys in such a stressed state is "bad science" and that trying to extrapolate useful data in such circumstances is an "untenable proposition." The publicity in Germany gave rise to the "Close Covance" (Covance Schliessen) animal rights
' campaign there, as well as campaigns launched in Britain by the BUAV, and in the U.S. by PETA. Nature reported that the company was in danger of losing its license.
According to the European Biomedical Research Association, the local authorities in Munster inspected Covance after the video footage was shown on German television, and insisted that Covance install video cameras to monitor staff working with primates. Covance appealed through the courts, which decided that video monitoring would infringe the rights of the staff. The public prosecutor's office also viewed the film and questioned witnesses. The prosecutor's office concluded that Covance "had not rendered themselves liable to prosecution," thus clearing the company of all charges.
After parts of Mülln's footage were shown on German television and in major newspapers, Covance filed a lawsuit
, leading a German court to forbid further distribution of the material. The publication ban
led to major protests from animal-rights advocates and anti-censorship
activists. A first ruling confirming Covance's claims was partially reversed by a higher court's ruling that the right of the public to be informed on the subject prevailed over the company's privacy rights. The video footage may now be displayed publicly, albeit not in the form of the existing television edition, but it may not be used by animal-rights groups.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
(PETA) found similar conditions in Covance's Vienna, Virginia
, lab during an undercover investigation in 2004-5.
In June 2005, Covance filed a lawsuit against PETA and its former employee for fraud, breach of employee contract
, and "conspiracy to harm the company's business by deceitfully infiltrating and videotaping the company's Vienna, Virginia facility." Covance and PETA agreed to a settlement in which PETA accepted a five-year ban on attempts to infiltrate Covance facilities. In a March 2006 statement, Covance announced that inspections of the Vienna, Virginia, facility by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) “resulted in no findings to substantiate any claims made against the facility.” Inspections by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) resulted in sixteen citations ranging, according to Covance, from "administrative issues to scope of veterinary authority." The company agreed to pay a settlement of $8,720.
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
, USA, is a contract research organization
Contract research organization
A contract research organization, also called a clinical research organization, is a service organization that provides support to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in the form of outsourced pharmaceutical research services...
(CRO), providing drug development and animal testing
Animal testing
Animal testing, also known as animal experimentation, animal research, and in vivo testing, is the use of non-human animals in experiments. Worldwide it is estimated that the number of vertebrate animals—from zebrafish to non-human primates—ranges from the tens of millions to more than 100 million...
services. According to its website, it is one of the largest companies of its kind in the world, with annual revenue
Revenue
In business, revenue is income that a company receives from its normal business activities, usually from the sale of goods and services to customers. In many countries, such as the United Kingdom, revenue is referred to as turnover....
s of over US$1.9 billion, operations in more than 25 countries, and over 10,000 employees worldwide. It provides the world's largest central laboratory network, and employs a global team of clinical-trial professionals and cardiac-safety experts. It became a publicly traded company after being spun off by Corning, Inc., in 1997.
History
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Corning Incorporated acquired numerous best-of-class drug-development companies, some with roots dating back to the 1940s. Covance began when Corning Glass Works consolidated its life sciences division in 1977. During this time, Corning acquired a small stake in Hazleton Laboratories Corp. This move lead to the full acquisition of Hazleton by Corning in 1987, followed by the acquisition of clinical testing company G.H. Besselaar Associates in 1989 and SciCor Inc. in 1991. These companies were merged under the subsidiary, Corning Lab Services, Inc., which later included Microtest, Ltd., a molecular-toxicology center. In January 1997, Corning spun off these businesses as two publicly traded, independent companies called Covance, Inc., and Quest Diagnostics, Inc.Focus
The company's primary focus is serving the pharmaceutical and biotechnologyBiotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
industries. As part of its clinical and non-clinical development services, Covance provides testing services to the environmental, food, and nutritional-supplement industries, and provides custom antibody
Antibody
An antibody, also known as an immunoglobulin, is a large Y-shaped protein used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects such as bacteria and viruses. The antibody recognizes a unique part of the foreign target, termed an antigen...
products and services to the research community for neurological disorders. It also offers cell-type-specific marker antibodies for neuroscience; suites of products for both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease; and an online antibody store, including phospho-specific and secondary antibodies.
Covance also provides commercialization services to pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical-device companies. Reimbursement and health economics consulting services are offered through its “Market Access Services” division, and post-approval services are provided through the company’s periapproval services group.
Covance's Nutrition division provides food and dietary supplements analysis services. In 2009 Covance and Kellogg announced that Covance will provide analytical chemistry, microbiology, and stability testing for Kellogg products, a deal valued at $42 million.
Expansion
In recent years, Covance continued its expansion with acquisitions of drug-development companies. Notably, in August 2005, Covance acquired GFI Clinical Services, an 80-bed clinical pharmacology business, from West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc., in order to expand the company’s Phase I clinical research offerings.In May 2006, Covance also acquired Signet Laboratories, Inc., which is a provider of monoclonal antibodies used in the research of cancer, infectious disease and neurodegenerative disease. On August 6, 2008, Covance purchased early drug development facilities in Greenfield, Indiana, from Eli Lilly for $50-million. In a contract valued at $1.6-billion, Covance will provide Eli Lilly with drug development services for the next 10 years. Covance will also provide services to other pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients at the Greenfield site. Covance will assume ownership of the site and operations on or about October 1, 2008.
Covance Research Products
A division of the company, called Covance Research Products, Inc. (CRP), based in Denver, PennsylvaniaDenver, Pennsylvania
Denver is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,332 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Denver is located at ....
, offers antibody products and antibody-development services to the research community. CRP also deals in the import and sale of laboratory animals. It is the largest importer of primates
International primate trade
The international trade in primates sees 32,000 wild non-human primates trapped and sold on the international market every year. They are sold mostly for use in animal testing, but also for food, for exhibition in zoos and circuses, and for private use as companion animals.-Countries involved:The...
in the U.S. and the world's largest breeder of laboratory dogs.
According to its website, CRP provides canine
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
s, rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
s, and non-human primates
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
for testing
Animal testing
Animal testing, also known as animal experimentation, animal research, and in vivo testing, is the use of non-human animals in experiments. Worldwide it is estimated that the number of vertebrate animals—from zebrafish to non-human primates—ranges from the tens of millions to more than 100 million...
purposes. CRP has created and trademarked new breed
Breed
A breed is a group of domestic animals or plants with a homogeneous appearance, behavior, and other characteristics that distinguish it from other animals or plants of the same species. Despite the centrality of the idea of "breeds" to animal husbandry, there is no scientifically accepted...
s of animals, including the "Mini-Mongrel" dog. The company also imports wild-caught primates. Covance's animal-testing programs and facilities are AAALAC-accredited, ISO 9001:2000-registered, OLAW
Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare
The Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare oversees the care and use of research animals in Public Health Service -funded research...
-assured, and USDA-research registered. The company claims that CRP programs and facilities are overseen by attending staff veterinarians and AALAS
American Association for Laboratory Animal Science
The American Association for Laboratory Animal Science is a 501 nonprofit membership association, established in 1950 as a forum for the exchange of information and expertise in the care and use of laboratory animals. Membership consists of approximately 12,000 individual, institutional,...
-certified technicians.
LD50 tests
Documents obtained from Hazleton in Yorkshire in 1984 by animal rights activists offered information about tests the company conducted on rabbits in 1980, which reportedly showed that paraquatParaquat
Paraquat is the trade name for N,N′-dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridinium dichloride, one of the most widely used herbicides in the world. Paraquat, a viologen, is quick-acting and non-selective, killing green plant tissue on contact. It is also toxic to human beings and animals...
was applied to the intact and abraded skin of New Zealand white rabbits
New Zealand rabbit
New Zealand rabbits are a breed of rabbit, which despite the name, are American in origin. New Zealand rabbits are available in three ARBA-recognized colors: white, red, and black. Although, cross breeding can result in many different combinations of these three basic pigmentations. There are...
. The animals were said to have had difficulty breathing, some were unable to move, and some suffered from anal bleeding and bleeding from the penis. Former research chemist Robert Sharpe writes that, in the early 1980s, Hazleton in Harrogate stated that they had expertise in “non-standard” tests in the field of inhalation-testing and explosive gases, and used °non-standard” animal “models,” such as Japanese
Japanese Quail
The Japanese Quail, also known as Coturnix Quail, Coturnix japonica, is a species of Old World Quail found in East Asia. They are a migratory species, breeding in Manchuria, southeastern Siberia, northern Japan, and the Korean Peninsula, and wintering in the south of Japan and southern China. They...
and Bobwhite Quails, Light Sussex Hens, Ring Necked Pheasants and Starlings, Rainbow Trout, Mirror Carp and Fathead minnows.
Münster, Germany
British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection
The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection is a British animal protection and advocacy group that campaigns for the abolition of all animal experiments...
sent German journalist Friedrich Mülln undercover into the German Covance facility in Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
, Europe's largest primate-testing center. There, Mülln obtained photographs, video, and other evidence of alleged abuse of monkeys and other non-human primates. The laboratory in Münster specializes in reproduction toxicology
Toxicology
Toxicology is a branch of biology, chemistry, and medicine concerned with the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms...
and primate toxicology, which includes testing on pregnant primates. It is believed to be one of the largest users of non-human primates in Europe.
The undercover footage shows staff making monkeys dance in time to blaring pop music, handling them roughly, and screaming at them. The monkeys are shown isolated in small wire cages with little or no natural light and no environmental enrichment, and living with high noise levels caused by staff shouting and playing the radio. In response, Covance maintained that clips showing different technicians working in different buildings had been edited together, resulting in a sequence of events that did not take place.
Primatologist
Primatology
Primatology is the scientific study of primates. It is a diverse discipline and researchers can be found in academic departments of anatomy, anthropology, biology, medicine, psychology, veterinary sciences and zoology, as well as in animal sanctuaries, biomedical research facilities, museums and zoos...
Dr. Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall
Dame Jane Morris Goodall, DBE , is a British primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace. Considered to be the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best known for her 45-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National...
described the living conditions of the monkeys as horrendous. "To see a monkey alone in a cage like that, with nothing to do so that they go completely crazed with boredom and sadness probably, it's deeply, deeply disturbing." Primatologist Stephen Brend told BUAV
British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection
The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection is a British animal protection and advocacy group that campaigns for the abolition of all animal experiments...
that using monkeys in such a stressed state is "bad science" and that trying to extrapolate useful data in such circumstances is an "untenable proposition." The publicity in Germany gave rise to the "Close Covance" (Covance Schliessen) animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
' campaign there, as well as campaigns launched in Britain by the BUAV, and in the U.S. by PETA. Nature reported that the company was in danger of losing its license.
According to the European Biomedical Research Association, the local authorities in Munster inspected Covance after the video footage was shown on German television, and insisted that Covance install video cameras to monitor staff working with primates. Covance appealed through the courts, which decided that video monitoring would infringe the rights of the staff. The public prosecutor's office also viewed the film and questioned witnesses. The prosecutor's office concluded that Covance "had not rendered themselves liable to prosecution," thus clearing the company of all charges.
After parts of Mülln's footage were shown on German television and in major newspapers, Covance filed a lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
, leading a German court to forbid further distribution of the material. The publication ban
Publication ban
A publication ban is a court order which prohibits the public or media from disseminating certain details of an otherwise public judicial procedure. In Canada, publication bans are most commonly issued when the safety or reputation of a victim or witness may be hindered by having their identity...
led to major protests from animal-rights advocates and anti-censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
activists. A first ruling confirming Covance's claims was partially reversed by a higher court's ruling that the right of the public to be informed on the subject prevailed over the company's privacy rights. The video footage may now be displayed publicly, albeit not in the form of the existing television edition, but it may not be used by animal-rights groups.
Vienna, Virginia, USA
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an American animal rights organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. A non-profit corporation with 300 employees and two million members and supporters, it claims to be the largest animal rights...
(PETA) found similar conditions in Covance's Vienna, Virginia
Vienna, Virginia
Vienna is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, it had a population of 15,687. Significantly more people live in zip codes with the Vienna postal addresses bordered approximately by Interstate 66 on the south, Interstate 495 on the east, Route 7 to...
, lab during an undercover investigation in 2004-5.
In June 2005, Covance filed a lawsuit against PETA and its former employee for fraud, breach of employee contract
Breach of contract
Breach of contract is a legal cause of action in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party's performance....
, and "conspiracy to harm the company's business by deceitfully infiltrating and videotaping the company's Vienna, Virginia facility." Covance and PETA agreed to a settlement in which PETA accepted a five-year ban on attempts to infiltrate Covance facilities. In a March 2006 statement, Covance announced that inspections of the Vienna, Virginia, facility by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) “resulted in no findings to substantiate any claims made against the facility.” Inspections by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) resulted in sixteen citations ranging, according to Covance, from "administrative issues to scope of veterinary authority." The company agreed to pay a settlement of $8,720.
New code
In response to the controversy, Covance issued a statement undertaking to observe a number of principles, including treating the animals in its care with respect, abiding by all applicable laws and regulations, employing alternatives where appropriate, minimizing animal discomfort and stress, training employees, and encouraging them to report any misconduct.See also
- Contract research organizationContract research organizationA contract research organization, also called a clinical research organization, is a service organization that provides support to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in the form of outsourced pharmaceutical research services...
- NafovannyNafovannyNafovanny in Vietnam is the largest captive-breeding primate facility in the world, supplying long-tailed macaques to animal testing laboratories, including Huntingdon Life Sciences in the UK and Covance in Germany.-Background:...
- Non-human primate experiments
External links
- Official site
- Ebola Reston Outbreaks
- PETA's Covance page
- British Union of Vivisection footage, inside Covance, Münster, 2003.
- PETA footage, inside Covance, Vienna, Virginia, 2004-2005.