Press release

Published: 24 February 2026

Organizations call for binding phase-out plan at annual general meeting

At the annual general meeting of Siemens Healthineers, Dr. Melanie Seiler, director of public relations at Doctors Against Animal Experiments, together with the umbrella organization of Critical Shareholders, questioned the company’s management about the continued use of rabbit blood for diagnostic tests (1). The background includes repeated revelations of problems at supplier facilities as well as animal-free methods for antibody production that have been available for years. The organizations are calling on the company to end cooperation with suppliers that have come under scrutiny and to present a concrete timeline for completely phasing out rabbit-derived antibodies.

Among the reasons for the criticism are undercover investigations by the organization SOKO Tierschutz, which in September 2025 documented serious animal welfare violations at a Bavarian supplier where thousands of rabbits are kept for antibody production (2). A scandal involving another supplier had already become public in 2022—in that case, the cooperation was terminated (3). In the current case, however, the company’s management has so far seen no reason to end the business relationship with the facility. At the meeting, it stated that a recently conducted review had found no significant deviations.

“Two serious cases within just a few years are not isolated incidents but a structural problem,” Seiler emphasized. If audits fail to detect violations while external investigations repeatedly uncover severe problems, only two possibilities remain—both highly problematic: “Either the inspections are not suitable for identifying animal welfare violations, or detected violations do not lead to consequences that can prevent further animal suffering,” Seiler said.

In their statements, the two organizations pointed out that Siemens Healthineers continues to use antibodies derived from rabbit blood even though modern animal-free methods for antibody production are scientifically well established (4). These methods are not only known to Siemens Healthineers but, according to the company, have already been used for years to develop diagnostic tests without rabbit antibodies (3). Evidence that these development efforts have been successful is provided by a patent filed by Siemens Healthineers. The patent application describes a process by which rabbit antibodies can be replaced with antibodies produced without animal testing (5).

Mala Deimann from the umbrella organization of Critical Shareholders added: “The management of Siemens Healthineers is resorting to excuses instead of using its own innovative capacity for animal protection. It is not credible to shift responsibility to lengthy approval procedures when the company already has the internal know-how for animal-free methods. Anyone who advocates sustainability must also be willing to go the extra mile for a future without animal suffering.”

Further evidence that rabbit antibodies are not necessary for diagnostic tests is the company’s own statement that all diagnostic tests developed in the past 10 years no longer rely on them. Despite these successes, the absence of a concrete plan to phase out rabbit blood contradicts applicable EU law, under which animal experiments—including the production of antibodies in rabbits—are only permitted if no animal-free methods exist (6).

“The question is no longer whether a phase-out is scientifically or technically possible—Siemens Healthineers has already demonstrated this through its own development activities. The real question is why Siemens Healthineers is not consistently pursuing the phase-out of rabbit blood and informing the public and its shareholders transparently,” Seiler said.

With an ongoing campaign, Ärzte gegen Tierversuche is calling on Siemens Healthineers to present a binding plan to phase out the use of rabbit blood.

References

1. „Erheblicher Widerspruch zum eigenen Nachhaltigkeitsanspruch, solange tierfreie Methoden nicht umgesetzt werden“. Rede von Dr. Melanie Seiler, Ärzte gegen Tierversuche, Dachverband Kritische Aktionäre, 05.02.2026 >> 
2. Shocking discovery at a farm. Doctors Against Animal Experiments, News, 24.09.2025 >> 
3. Tierversuche bei Siemens. Ärzte gegen Tierversuche, Pressemitteilung, 28.07.2022 >> 
4. Barroso, J. et al. EURL ECVAM Recommendation on non-animal-derived antibodies. Publications office of the European Union, 2020
5. Immunoprecipitation assay using non-blood based antibodies. Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Products GmbH, European Patent Register, 10.09.2025, EP 4 614 147 A1 >> 
6. Directive 2010/63/EU oft he European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2010 on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes