Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Rocket Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biotechnology company whose core business model involves the testing of gene therapy candidates on animals. The company’s pipeline development, including programs for rare diseases, relies on preclinical studies conducted in animal models to demonstrate safety and efficacy before advancing to human trials. This use of animals is not incidental but central to its research and regulatory submission process.

The company’s own communications reference this reliance. A press release explicitly noted the conduct of animal studies for an undisclosed adeno-associated virus (AAV) program, with supporting data including representative electron microscopy tissue images from an animal model. This practice is standard for the biopharmaceutical industry but constitutes commercial animal exploitation under the firm’s exclusion criteria, as the company’s valuation and pipeline progression are directly tied to these activities. No public commitment to phasing out animal testing or adopting alternative non-animal methods was identified in the evidence reviewed.