Sexism in mice studies could be leading to the development of drugs that work in men but not women, a scientist has warned.

Most research is carried out on male mice, but there is a huge difference in how the sexes react to medication, particularly in pain relief.

Prof Jeffrey Mogil of McGill University, Montreal, Canada, said scientists must start using animal models of both male and female to make sure that women are not missing out on new drugs.

Writing in the journal Nature Perspectives, Prof McGill said: “Women are more sensitive to, and less tolerant of, pain than men. Most patients with pain are women.

“We fail in our duties if we conduct research using only male rodents, producing results that might serve only men.

“The message to my fellow pain researchers is: start including female mice and rats in all your experiments today. You have nothing to lose, and both men and women with pain have everything to gain.”