Sanofi Forces Mice and Rats to Swim for Their Lives

After you read this, you’ll leave IcyHot, Rolaids, Selsun blue, Gold Bond, Allegra, Nasacort, Aspercreme, and other over-the-counter Sanofi products off your shopping list.

The forced swim test is a widely used experiment that’s as cruel as it is worthless. In this test, experimenters put mice, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters, or gerbils in inescapable containers filled with water. The panicked animals try to escape by attempting to climb up the sides of the beakers or even dive underwater in search of an exit. They paddle furiously, desperately trying to keep their heads above water.