创新药遭遇“窜天猴” 两个月大涨30% 1只实验猴卖12万元仍“有价无猴”

Core Insights - The price of experimental monkeys, specifically the crab-eating macaque, has surged above 100,000 yuan, marking a significant increase of over 30% from previous prices, leading to a budget shortfall for companies [1][2] - The supply of experimental monkeys is critically low, with a reported annual demand-supply gap of approximately 10,000 monkeys in China, exacerbated by the increasing reliance on these animals for drug safety evaluations [10][11] - The cyclical nature of monkey prices is influenced by a seven-year breeding cycle, making it difficult for breeding companies to respond to market demands in a timely manner [6][7] Price Trends - The price of crab-eating macaques has fluctuated dramatically over the past decade, with a 14-fold increase since 2017, and current prices are expected to stabilize between 70,000 to 150,000 yuan in the next two to three years [2][5] - The peak price reached 200,000 yuan in 2022 and 2023, but has since decreased to around 100,000 yuan, still significantly impacting the cost structure of drug development projects [3][6] Supply Chain Dynamics - The concentration of monkey breeding facilities has increased, with major CRO companies acquiring a significant portion of the available monkeys, leading to a tighter market for smaller companies seeking to procure these animals [9][10] - The breeding cycle for crab-eating macaques is lengthy, taking approximately 6 to 7 years from birth to maturity, which complicates the ability of breeding companies to scale up production in response to rising demand [6][7] Industry Implications - The high cost of experimental monkeys now constitutes a core part of the toxicology testing budget, with estimates suggesting that a single project may require four to five million yuan just for safety evaluation experiments [3][4] - The ongoing demand for innovative drug development, particularly in areas such as antibody drugs and gene therapy, continues to drive the need for crab-eating macaques in preclinical testing [7][11] Future Outlook - The industry is facing a potential decline in self-sustaining breeding capacity, with projections indicating that the annual production of self-bred crab-eating macaques may fall below 10,000 in the next two to three years if current trends continue [7][10] - Companies are urged to consider long-term strategies for breeding and procurement to mitigate the impact of fluctuating prices and supply shortages in the future [6][9]