Hollywood star wins battle to save lab test puppies

The actress Kim Basinger (pictured) yesterday won a battle to save 36 beagle puppies from having bones in their legs broken to test a drug for osteoporosis in humans.

Yamanouchi, the Japanese pharmaceutical company which commissioned the experiments to be carried out in a British-owned laboratory, said last night that it had decided to halt the experiments because of "public confusion and disquiet" about the tests. Now it is going to examine if there are other ways of testing the drug.

The tests were due to be carried out in an American laboratory owned by Huntingdon Life Sciences, based in Cambridge.

Ms Basinger had offered to adopt the puppies to save them from undergoing the tests after being told about the tests by the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) which she has supported in past animal rights campaigns.