GREAT NEWS for Small Animals: Al Azhar College of Pharmacy Supports Ban on Forced Swim Test After Hearing from PETA India
For Immediate Release:
18 June 2026
Contact:
Sanskriti Bansore; [email protected]
Varulika Dixit; [email protected]
Thodupuzha – In a significant win for animals, Al Azhar College of Pharmacy India has given its official support for a full ban on the controversial Forced Swim Test (FST) in which mice, hamsters, and other small animals are dosed with test substances, placed in inescapable beakers filled with water, and made to swim to keep from drowning – purportedly to shed light on human depression. The decision follows a rigorous campaign by PETA India highlighting the test’s inherent cruelty and scientific failure.
This landmark support follows PETA India’s victories against the experiment at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University in Ludhiana, Himachal Institute of Pharmacy in Himachal Pradesh, Chitkara University in Chandigarh and CT University also in Ludhiana, Punjab—all of which confirmed that they would no longer conduct the forced swim test after hearing from PETA India.
The experiment has been heavily criticized by scientists who argue that the animals giving up and floating is not a sign of depression or despair, but rather an indicator that the animals are simply saving energy and adapting to a new environment. Research suggests the test may even be less reliable than a coin toss at determining the effectiveness of antidepressant medications.
In an email to PETA India, the Principal Prof. Dr. Shyamkumar B of the Al-Azhar College of Pharmacy confirmed that they “support the blanket ban on the Forced Swim Test, as alternative methods are available.”
The Pharmacy Council of India has twice directed all agencies under its purview (in April 2025 and again in January 2026) to review and take necessary action on PETA India’s request to end the use of the widely debunked experiment. More than 100 scientists and scientific experts have also joined PETA India’s call urging regulators and institutions to end the use of the forced swim test.
“Al Azhar College of Pharmacy’s response reflects a growing shift toward humane and scientifically progressive educational practices in India,” says Dr. Anjana Aggarwal, PETA India’s Scientist and Research Policy Advisor. “The institution’s support for blanket ban on the Forced Swim Test sends an encouraging message to other colleges and universities across the country.”
Other government agencies, universities, and pharmaceutical companies around the world have pledged not to permit, conduct, or fund the FST after hearing from PETA entities. PETA India is intensifying efforts to urge the Committee for Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CCSEA) to ban the cruel experiment at the national level.
PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow PETA India on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
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