A surge in demand from China’s rapidly expanding biotechnology sector is driving the cost of laboratory monkeys to its highest level since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic [[1]]. The escalating price of these primates-predicted to reach approximately $21,000 USD per monkey this year-reflects a bottleneck in critical research and progress as Chinese firms increase licensing agreements with global pharmaceutical companies like AstraZeneca and Pfizer. This shortage is already causing delays in clinical trials and prompting debate around animal reuse and the search for alternative testing methods.
The cost of laboratory monkeys in China is expected to reach its highest level since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, driven by increasing demand from the country’s rapidly growing biotechnology sector.
The rising price of these primates reflects a surge in clinical trials within China, a key indicator of innovation in medical research and development.
Experts predict that a single laboratory monkey will cost approximately 150,000 Chinese yuan (roughly $21,000 USD) at the beginning of this year. This represents a significant increase compared to last year, when the average price was about one-third lower.
“In 2025, a much larger number of projects were initiated thanks to strong investment,” said Chen Chen, a pharmaceutical industry analyst at UBS. “At the same time, the supply of monkeys is limited, which has led to price increases.”
Chinese biotechnology companies finalized a record number of licensing agreements with foreign pharmaceutical manufacturers, including AstraZeneca and Pfizer, last year. This activity, coupled with successful initial public offerings of biotechnology companies, has fueled venture capital investment in startups.
The scarcity of monkeys has already caused delays for some clinical research organizations, forcing them to postpone projects by several months. According to one industry manager, the shortage stems from a growing number of research teams entering the mid-to-late stages of development, which typically require a larger number of primates for testing.
Monkey Reuse and the Search for Alternatives
The demand for monkeys is so high that laboratories are increasingly reusing the same animals for multiple clinical trials. While this practice is permitted for certain tests, the monkeys must undergo a recovery period before being used again. However, investors in biotechnology place a higher value on data from monkeys that have not been previously tested.
The price of monkeys has fluctuated since the start of the pandemic, peaking at 188,000 Chinese yuan (over $650,000 USD) in 2022. Prices then declined with a slowdown in investment, but breeders did not increase the primate population during that time, contributing to the current shortage. It takes approximately four years for monkeys in China to reach the age where they are suitable for clinical testing.
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) eased requirements for reusing monkeys in certain safety studies, aiming to reduce the costs associated with drug development. This follows a similar move by the United Kingdom, which is investing in the development of artificial intelligence technologies to reduce reliance on animal testing in drug development.
However, according to analyst Chen, the implementation of these changes may take time. “Currently, there is no complete substitute for traditional monkey testing methods,” she said. She added that the use of artificial intelligence is still in its early stages and will take time to become more widespread in clinical trial testing.
The increasing cost and limited availability of research monkeys highlight the challenges facing biomedical research and the ongoing need for innovative approaches to drug development. These trends could impact the timeline and cost of bringing new therapies to market, underscoring the importance of exploring alternative testing methods.
