Forget Nvidia chips, China’s next big race is being slowed down by an unlikely rival: monkeys

China’s pharmaceutical sector, which has spent the past five years rebuilding itself into the world’s fastest drug development machine, is now being held back by a shortage of lab monkeys, and biotech executives say securing one now feels as difficult as negotiating with Nvidia for its chips.

In June 2026, a Chinese state laboratory paid 178,000 yuan, roughly Rs 22 lakh or $26,294, for each of 40 cynomolgus macaques, according to the Times of India. Twelve months earlier, the same animal cost approximately half that amount. Since 2018, when a single lab monkey cost around $1,800 (roughly Rs 1.5 lakh at current rates), prices have climbed by more than 1,000% in eight years.