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Hosts claim monkey testing prices surged after China halted primate exports

By Egleze Editorial Desk · Published August 13, 2026 · My First Million · The $4 billion business behind drug testing
Hosts claim monkey testing prices surged after China halted primate exports
My First Million
My First Million
The $4 billion business behind drug testing

What was said

"When COVID happened, prices shot up cuz they needed to test for medicines, vaccines. It got to 20,000, 50,000 per monkey. And then what happened was at the time, China supplied 60% of the world's what they call NHPs, non-human primates, which these monkeys, >> they do everything."

My First Million hosts discuss what they describe as a sharp rise in the cost of non-human primates used in drug testing during Covid-19, claiming prices reached $20,000 to $50,000 per animal. They further claim China previously supplied around 60% of the global non-human primate market before stopping exports, triggering a supply shock that other countries such as Cambodia and Vietnam moved to fill.

Verification status

Attributed speaker claim

Egleze verified who said this and where. The underlying claim has not been independently established by Egleze.

Source and context

Egleze verified who said this and where. The underlying claim has not been independently established by Egleze.

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My First Million
Episode
The $4 billion business behind drug testing
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0:14
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My First Million
My First Million

The $4 billion business behind drug testing

August 12, 2026 · 1m · 1 Egleze moments
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