The Daily Brief Why are prices for lab monkeys suddenly rising?
Jan 9, 2026
Why are lab monkey prices soaring? The demand soared due to China's biotech boom, but supply struggles with long rearing times and export bans since COVID-19. Discover how these factors impact drug development and the broader pharmaceutical industry. Meanwhile, India faces its own challenges with a new EB4 visa for foreign technicians, highlighting struggles in attracting talent and navigating a restrictive visa system. Tune in for insights on global supply shocks and India’s position in the primate supply chain!
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Macaques Are Central To Drug Development
- Macaque monkeys are essential in pre-clinical drug testing because they are biologically closer to humans than other non-rodents.
- Their use is a regulatory and scientific bottleneck that ties animal supply directly to drug development timelines.
Biology Creates A Long Supply Lag
- Breeding macaques is slow and costly, with research-ready animals taking about four years to raise in China and up to 5–8 years to scale colonies.
- This biological lag makes supply inelastic and unable to respond quickly to demand spikes.
China's Export Ban Reshaped Global Supply
- China's 2020 ban on wild animal exports, including lab monkeys, choked global supply just as demand spiked for vaccine research.
- That shift left Western labs scrambling and boosted domestic Chinese biotech access to primates.