The market for laboratory monkeys in China has long been characterised by sharp swings. Prices spiked dramatically during the Covid years, reaching roughly 188,000 to 230,000 yuan per animal in 2022–23, when export restrictions and emergency research needs strained supply
China’s economy may still be grappling with deflationary pressures, but one unlikely commodity is moving firmly in the opposite direction: laboratory monkeys. Prices for primates used in drug testing are rising sharply once again, a trend that could spell trouble for Chinese researchers and biotech companies already facing high development costs.
According to a report by the Financial Times, the price of a single laboratory monkey in China is expected to climb to around 150,000 yuan in early 2026, nearing levels last seen during the Covid-19 pandemic. This represents a steep jump from the 2025 average of about 103,000 yuan per animal and marks a clear reversal from last year’s decline.
The renewed surge is being driven by a faster-than-anticipated revival in biotech research activity, combined with a structural lag in breeding capacity. Over the past two years, China’s biotech sector has experienced a wave of deal-making, initial public offerings and fresh venture capital inflows. Domestic firms struck an unusually high number of licensing agreements with global drugmakers in 2024 and 2025, generating new capital that has been funnelled into research and development.
As a result, many drug candidates have progressed into mid- and late-stage development. These phases typically require extensive non-clinical testing, often involving primates, sharply increasing demand for laboratory monkeys. Breeding facilities, however, have not been able to expand supply quickly enough to keep pace.
The market for laboratory monkeys in China has long been characterised by sharp swings. Prices spiked dramatically during the Covid years, reaching roughly 188,000 to 230,000 yuan per animal in 2022–23, when export restrictions and emergency research needs strained supply. As investment cooled and breeding capacity improved, prices fell back to around 80,000–125,000 yuan in 2023–24.
What sets the current rebound apart from the pandemic peak is its underlying cause. This time, demand is being driven less by crisis conditions and more by sustained growth in research and development activity. Analysts note that while this reflects renewed confidence in China’s biotech sector, it also introduces new cost pressures at a time when companies are racing to advance drug pipelines.
If prices continue to climb as expected, smaller research firms and start-ups could feel the strain most acutely, potentially reshaping how non-clinical testing is planned and prioritised in the years ahead.
