Even 40 Million Won Can't Secure Them... Why Have Prices for These Animals Soared?

Supply Shortfall of 10,000 Monkeys Annually Amid Drug Development Boom

Prices Near Pandemic-Era Highs

In China, where there is a strong surge in new drug development, the price of laboratory monkeys has soared due to supply shortages. The price for a single monkey has skyrocketed to as much as 40 million won per animal.

On July 12, Yonhap News cited China Business News, reporting that Chinese bio companies are currently facing difficulties caused by a shortage of laboratory monkeys for animal testing and the burden of rising prices.

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Among non-human primate animal tests, rhesus macaques and crab-eating macaques are mainly used. Of these, crab-eating macaques are more frequently utilized. It was reported that a recent quote provided to a Chinese pharmaceutical company for crab-eating macaques reached 200,000 yuan (approximately 44.33 million won) per animal. This is close to the highest price recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic. Crab-eating macaques are native to Southeast Asia and are mainly bred in China's southern provinces with mild climates, such as Guangdong, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and Yunnan.

The price of laboratory monkeys surged between 2020 and 2022 as supply chains were disrupted and demand increased for new drug research and development, including COVID-19 treatments. However, as R&D spending in the new drug sector declined, the price plummeted after 2023, dropping below 100,000 yuan (about 22.16 million won).

As enthusiasm for new drug research and development has intensified since last year, the price of laboratory monkeys began to rise again. According to the National Medical Products Administration of China, the total number of clinical trials in China surpassed 5,000 last year for the first time ever, setting a new record. Among these, clinical trials for new drugs accounted for 2,997 cases, making up 57.5% of the total.

This sharp increase in the price of crab-eating macaques has also been reflected in Chinese government procurement contracts.

On June 16, the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control purchased 40 crab-eating macaques, with the price per animal at 178,000 yuan (about 39.45 million won). Three months earlier, on March 5, the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica at the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced the successful bid for a crab-eating macaque procurement project, with the cost for 450 monkeys totaling 58.95 million yuan, or 131,000 yuan (about 29.03 million won) per animal.

Some speculate that hoarding has triggered the price increase. An anonymous source told China Business News, "There are suspicions that some contract research organizations deliberately hoarded laboratory monkeys to drive up the price."

Concerns are also growing that rising prices for laboratory monkeys will further increase the cost burden of pharmaceutical research and development. It is commonly known that safety evaluations of pharmaceuticals typically require 58 monkeys. In China, the estimated annual demand for laboratory monkeys is about 30,000, but there is a shortage of 10,000 animals. Moreover, since monkeys have long breeding and reproduction cycles, it is expected that the supply-demand imbalance will not be resolved quickly.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.