About animal testing and why we don’t do it
If Clemens Bimek had allowed his product to be tested on animals, the development of the Bimek SLV would probably be significantly further along. During the development of new medical products nothing is as natural as field tests on animals. However Clemens Bimek had his own view on the subject – he simply chose not to do it.
A while ago he presented the spermatic duct valve to a member of the German Society of Andrology. The medical professional showed enthusiasm in the idea and proposed testing it on animals. An absolutely common practice in the medical sector. This never came to be. And why should it have? The materials used are verified as completely suitable for use in humans and have already been used in implant surgeries for years in the medical industry. So why the need for animal testing? Well, that’s just how it’s done.
A devoted vegetarian with vegan tendencies
Up until he was in his 20s, Clemens Bimek ate whatever found its way onto the dinner table. The fact people did not NEED to eat meat was something he had never heard of. Vegetarians were also not a very popular species in the GDR. Then the end of the GDR came and with it new ways of life – including meatless living. Since his childhood Bimek never enjoyed eating meat; he was an animal lover, he disliked the use of dog leashes and so enthusiastically took to vegetarianism. Since then he has not eaten meat and his shopping list continued to contain less and less animal products.
How could a devoted vegetarian/vegan allow a product, he himself invented, to be tested on animals? The answer is simple – he couldn’t.
No one needs animal testing
Several million animals die every year in animal experiments, many of which are for pharmaceutical research. Although today’s scientific community also knows of numerous alternative research methods, which produce equally valid results, researchers nevertheless willingly resort to classical animal experimentation – fuelled by the desire to succeed, but also just out of habit.
Clemens Bimek stands firmly against animal testing. The Bimek SLV should be tested on humans, because in the end it’s designed for humans and the materials and manufacturing processes are already tried and tested. The vegetarian Bimek offers a completely vegan product.