The Failed Experiment—a groundbreaking new docuseries from PETA and executive producer Bill Maher—gut-wrenchingly lays bare the failure of current methods of medical research, which rely heavily on cruel and useless experiments on our fellow animals.
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Most people have lost a loved one to disease. Many have endured the heartache of waiting, hoping for a cure or new treatment for a friend or family member that never came.
As humans succumb to currently untreatable diseases and average life expectancies drop in the U.S., scientists waste time and taxpayer dollars creating and treating symptoms in animals in laboratories—even though modern, human-relevant testing methods exist. The medical industry is failing to find cures, but it doesn’t have to be this way.
In six brief but unforgettable episodes, The Failed Experiment stares down the status quo, questioning what’s not working with current systems and providing much-needed solutions for modernizing the world of medical research.
If you only watch one docuseries this year, make sure it’s The Failed Experiment—stream it now. Available on Prime Video.
In The Failed Experiment, experts from an array of fields bring their firsthand knowledge of research, medicine, and technology to break down the numerous failures of animal experimentation. Providing a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of animals in laboratories, the series explores why decades of experiments on animals haven’t produced cures for humans, how killing animals has become an institutional gravy train, and much more.
The following experts—just some of the many featured in The Failed Experiment—have one thing in common: They agree it’s time to move away from humanity’s failed experiment of testing on animals.
John Gluck, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of New Mexico and Research Professor, Kennedy Institute of Ethics
Dr. John Gluck is a trained primatologist and a clinical and research psychologist focused on bioethics and research ethics. As a former animal experimenter, he spent years working closely with monkeys in laboratories. Today, he encourages his colleagues to reexamine their use of animals, and his work helped end a series of maternal deprivation experiments on baby monkeys at the National Institutes of Health.
Mitchell Klausner, Former President, MatTek Corporation
Mitchell Klausner is the former president of MatTek, a global leader in supplying in vitro testing models that use real human tissue. Under his direction, MatTek helps companies and researchers in an array of fields and industries achieve their testing goals without using animals. Just one example of its innovative developments is the EpiDerm system, a 3-D model formed from human skin cells, which saves tens of thousands of rabbits from having potentially painful chemicals rubbed on their sensitive skin.
Rolf Kleiner, Former President, InVitro International
Rich Ulmer, President and CEO, InVitro International
InVitro International develops testing methods for eye irritation, skin irritation, and skin toxicity to replace the use of animals in product safety testing. The company’s trailblazing work provides researchers with a low-cost method for examining chemicals that are potentially harmful to humans and the environment without using animals. As a pioneer of change, it invented the first non-animal test to be accepted by the U.S. government, which led many states to ban animal-testing requirements for skin corrosion tests.
John Pawlowski, M.D., Ph.D., Co-Director, Shapiro Simulation and Skills Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Dr. John Pawlowski is a specialist in anesthesiology with more than 35 years of experience in the medical field. His groundbreaking research on non-animal simulators aims to shift the global paradigm away from using animals in biomedical education, and his work has saved animals around the world.
What Experts and Others Say
“Animal testing consistently fails to deliver actual, real-world results. I remain strongly committed to replacing such unnecessary and inhumane practices with reliable and cost-effective alternatives.”
—Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.-01)
“As an osteopathic physician and veterinarian deeply committed to ethical research practices and animal welfare, I wholeheartedly endorse the powerful docuseries ‘The Failed Experiment.’ This enlightening film, featuring insightful perspectives from key figures such as Ingrid Newkirk, Kathy Guillermo, and Dr. John Gluck, sheds light on the mistreatment of animals, the inadequacies of current oversight, and the failure of animal models in producing human-relevant data. By presenting compelling footage from undercover investigations and highlighting the superior efficacy of non-animal research methodologies, the docuseries advocates for a crucial shift in biomedical research practices. I join the call for change, urging the National Institutes of Health to redirect funding towards ethical and effective non-animal testing methods that not only protect vulnerable animals but also provide more meaningful answers to biomedical research questions. ‘The Failed Experiment’ is a transformative and informative piece that has the potential to reshape our understanding of research ethics and pave the way for a more humane and effective future in biomedical science.”
—Narda G. Robinson, D.O., D.V.M., M.S., CRPM, FAAMA, President and CEO, CuraCore VET and CuraCore MED
“’The Failed Experiment’ docuseries addresses critical ethical concerns surrounding animal experimentation. Its invaluable contribution lies in exposing the scientific shortcomings of this practice, emphasizing the need to transition towards non-animal, human-relevant research methods for more accurate and ethically sound outcomes. Some scenes of animal suffering are difficult to watch, but it’s important to understand exactly what goes on in these publicly funded labs.”
—Sujatha Ramakrishna, M.D., Pediatric Psychiatrist
“The members of the National Hispanic Medical Association have seen firsthand what ‘The Failed Experiment’ exposes—the current paradigm in biomedical research is failing their patients from Latin and other communities. The reliance on irrelevant experiments on animals is delaying the availability of treatments and cures, and it’s time to shift toward human-based research methods.”
—Elena V. Rios, M.D., MSPH, FACP, President and CEO, National Hispanic Medical Association
“’The Failed Experiment’ powerfully exposes the bad science upon which animal experiments are based, explaining why so many diseases continue to lack treatments despite decades of taxpayer-funded research. Enough is enough. It’s time to stop wasting money and lives and impeding medical progress.”
—Pandora Pound, Ph.D., Research Director, Safer Medicines Trust; Author of Rat Trap: The Capture of Medicine by Animal Research—and How to Break Free
“’The Failed Experiment’ pulls the curtains back on the cruel, heartless, and largely unnecessary world of animal experimentation. It is not for the fainthearted. But the film not only exposes the unsound status quo, it proposes realistic alternatives that are being developed and utilized. As a psychologist, not one second in my decades of practice has been guided or informed by animal experimentation. ‘The Failed Experiment’ shows us hope that those from many other fields and endeavors might one day say the same.”
—Brent B. Geary, Ph.D., Behavioral Health Systems
Were You Sickened by What You Saw in The Failed Experiment?
Do What’s Good for You and Your Fellow Animals
Everyone, take action (using the button below) for animals tormented in experiments by urging the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to shut down the forest-to-laboratory monkey-abduction pipeline:
U.S. residents only, please also take this additional step:
Those who are inspired to take action for animals in laboratories after seeing the series can champion good science by supporting PETA’s Research Modernization Deal, which outlines a comprehensive strategy for replacing animal experiments with modern, human-relevant research methods:
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