While very unfortunate, animal testing is critical in developing medical devices for humans. If someone in a medical device-related field is completely against animal testing, they might be in the wrong business. The alternative would be to not have animal studies and go straight to human studies, which would be even more detrimental. However, if there are other options available where in vitro testing would be enough to satisfy the research (using cells to test a device or material), then that path should be taken. This option does limit what you can test for.

It is, however, important to remember that even with animal testing, there are certain ethical guidelines that must be followed. If any animal related research deviates from these outlined procedures, then it is, of course, unethical.