01670nas a2200157   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002260001500043100001800058245009400076856004600170300001200216490000700228520126300235022001401498       2024                            d  c2024-05-011 aJarrod Bailey00aIt’s Time to Review the Three Rs, to Make them More Fit for Purpose in the 21st Century  uhttps://doi.org/10.1177/02611929241241187  a155-1650 v523 aThe Three Rs have become widely accepted and pursued, and are now the go-to framework that encourages the humane use of animals in science, where no other option is believed to exist. However, many people, including scientists, harbour varying degrees of concern about the value and impact of the Three Rs. This ranges from a continued adherence to the Three Rs principles in the belief that they have performed well, through a belief that there should be more emphasis (or indeed a sole focus) on replacement, to a view that the principles have hindered, rather than helped, a critical approach to animal research that should have resulted in replacement to a much greater extent. This critical review asks questions of the Three Rs and their implementation, and provides an overview of the current situation surrounding animal use in biomedical science (chiefly in research). It makes a case that it is time to move away from the Three Rs and that, while this happens, the principles need to be made more robust and enforced more efficiently. To expedite a shift from animal use in science, toward a much greater and quicker adoption of human-specific New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), some argue for a straightforward focus on the best available science.  a0261-1929