China's biotech firms grapple with soaring lab monkey prices amid soaring demand

In June, a Chinese state laboratory spent 178,000 yuan for each of 40 cynomolgus macaques, a price about double what it was twelve months prior. The rise reflects a sharp increase in demand for primate toxicology data, as China now contributes roughly a third of the global innovative drug pipeline and leads in clinical trials. Regulatory requirements that monkeys be three years old mean the shortfall cannot be resolved quickly through breeding.

Executives like Jielun Zhu liken the scramble for animals to competing for Nvidia chips, while consultants report planning delays of four to ten months. Contract research firms including WuXi AppTec, Pharmaron and Joinn Laboratories have seen profits surge due to the higher animal valuations, and analysts project a shortfall of 15,000 to 20,000 monkeys annually through 2028, with imports from Cambodia expected to offset part of the gap.