China’s pharma has a ‘monkey problem’ as tough as ‘negotiating with Nvidia’

 China’s lab monkey prices have doubled in a year, with a state lab paying 178,000 yuan ($26,294) each for cynomolgus macaques in June. Biotech executives say securing research primates now feels like negotiating with Nvidia for chips. The monkey shortage is delaying preclinical toxicology studies by four to ten months, threatening China’s speed advantage in drug development. Zheshang Securities projects an annual gap of 15,000 to 20,000 monkeys through 2028, with Cambodia imports expected to help. China’s lab monkey prices have doubled in a year, with a state lab paying 178,000 yuan ($26,294) each for cynomolgus macaques in June. Biotech executives say securing research primates now feels like negotiating with Nvidia for chips. The monkey shortage is delaying preclinical toxicology studies by four to ten months, threatening China’s speed advantage in drug development. Zheshang Securities projects an annual gap of 15,000 to 20,000 monkeys through 2028, with Cambodia imports expected to help.