The statement (pdf), signed by three Nobel laureates, 250 academic professors and 190 fellows of the Royal Society and the Royal Colleges, echoes a similar declaration published exactly 15 years ago.
Signatories to the declaration, drawn up by the Research Defence Society, include medical research council chief executive Colin Blakemore and neuroscientist Nancy Rothwell.
"Throughout the world people enjoy a better quality of life because of advances made possible through medical research and the development of new medicines and other treatments. A small but vital part of that work involves the use of animals," the statement reads.
But it uses much more guarded language than the 1990 version (pdf), which stated that "violent attacks on people and property, hostile campaigns against individual scientists, and the use of distorted, inaccurate or misleading evidence should be publicly condemned".
Today's declaration also appears to go further than the 1990 declaration in attempting to placate animal rights activists. It calls for improved housing for animals and for animal laboratories to be more open about their activities and insists that all experimentation is justified in ethical reviews.
Geneticist Dr Robin Lovell-Badge, one of the signatories to the declaration, said researchers would prefer not to use animals but that research was essential to medical progress.
"We try hard to find alternatives, but without the research we do there would be no progress in finding cures that alleviate pain, suffering and disease in animals as well as in humans," he said.
Dr Simon Festing, the executive director of the Research Defence Society, said the declaration "shows the strength and depth of support for humane animal research in this country".
"Abolitionist groups often claim that their position has scientific or medical support, but it's no surprise that they cannot back this up," he said.
Max Newton, campaigns coordinator of anti-vivisection organisation Uncaged, told Guardian Unlimited that the statement failed to alleviate the concerns of activists.
"They're having to say things like this because public opinion is largely against animal testing. But the words have no effect in reality," he said.
The declaration came the day after Darley Oaks farm in Newchurch, Staffordshire, said it would stop breeding guinea pigs for research following a violent six-year campaign by animal rights activists, which at one point included the desecration of a family grave.
News of the Darley Oaks farm was greeted with dismay by politicians and scientists, who fear it will encourage animal rights extremists in their campaigns against other facilities linked to animal research.
Conservative MP Michael Fabricant, whose constituency includes the farm, described the protestors as "terrorists".
"It is a sad day when terror tactics are seen, albeit wrongly, to have succeeded and the rule of law in our country to have failed," he said.
Legislation passed earlier this year made it illegal for activists to target people's homes and to deliberately cause economic damage to businesses connected to animal experimentation.