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Mass. lab business subpoenaed in monkey smuggling investigation
Charles River Laboratories intends to fully cooperate with the U.S. government, its CEO said Wednesday.
Massachusetts-based Charles River Laboratories announced Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Justice has subpoenaed the company as part of an investigation into an international primate smuggling ring.
Charles River Laboratories received a subpoena on Feb. 17 relating to a federal investigation of the Cambodian supply chain of non-human primates, or NHPs, CEO James Foster shared during an earnings call. The subpoena specifically relates to shipments of primates that Charles River Laboratories received from its Cambodian supplier, he explained.
The company, which is headquartered in Wilmington, intends to fully cooperate with the U.S. government, he said.
“Once the Department of Justice concludes its investigation, we believe it will find that any concerns with respect to Charles River are without merit,” Foster added.
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In November, the Department of Justice charged eight people — including two Cambodian officials — with smuggling and conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act and the Lacey Act, which targets illegal trafficking of wildlife, fish, and plants. The eight were accused of illegally bringing wild long-tailed macaques into the U.S.
In a Wednesday news release, animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said that if Charles River Laboratories participated in the illegal trafficking, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should revoke the company’s license to import primates.
Non-human primates are the most scientifically relevant large model to safety test biologic drugs, as mandated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other international regulatory agencies, Foster explained on the earnings call.
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The animals have been in high demand in recent years as biologic drug development proliferated, he added, giving the example of COVID-19 vaccines developed in the U.S. and Europe.
Yet with the investigation and heightened focus on the Cambodian supply chain, Foster said Charles River Laboratories has voluntarily suspended planned future shipments of Cambodian primates until the company and federal Fish and Wildlife officials can develop new procedures to help ensure that imported animals are purpose-bred.
In recent years, Cambodian primates have made up approximately 60% of non-human primates supplied to the U.S. and Charles River Laboratories for drug research and development, according to Foster. While the company is actively working to diversify its supply chain, there is no global source to replace the Cambodian supply at this time, he said.
Shares in Charles River Laboratories dropped by 10% following Wednesday’s call, with the supply chain news putting a dent in the company’s revenue growth guidance for 2023, according to Bloomberg.
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