Wilmington's Charles River Labs Subpoenaed For Cambodian Lab Monkeys

WILMINGTON, MA — Wilmington-based Charles River Laboratories revealed earlier this week that the company had received a subpoena from the U.S. Department of Justice relating to the an investigation into the supply of lab monkeys from Cambodia.

The information was revealed Tuesday during the company's earnings announcement.

"On February 17th, the company received a subpoena from the U.S. Department of Justice relating to an investigation into the Cambodian non-human primate (NHP) supply chain," Charles River Laboratories said in a statement. "The company has been informed that this investigation relates specifically to several shipments of NHPs received by Charles River from its Cambodian supplier. Charles River intends to fully cooperate with the U.S. government as part of their investigation."

In the same announcement, Charles River said that due to the ongoing investigations and heightened focus on the Cambodian NHP supply chain, the company has voluntarily suspended NHP shipments from Cambodia at this time.

Charles River also noted that NHP supply constraints are reflected in the company's 2023 revenue growth outlook, which is expected to reduce the company's consolidated revenue growth forecast by approximately 200 to 400 basis points this year.

According to its website, Charles River provides essential products and services to help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, government agencies and academic institutions accelerate their research of drug development efforts.

On the website, the company has a section titled Animals in Research in which it explains the important role animal research has played in medical breakthroughs throughout history, including for cancer, diabetes and AIDS.

The company also offers a link to its Animal Welfare and the Humane Treatment of Animals Policy.

According to Reuters, the Charles River subpoena could be connected to a case in November in which the Department of Justice charged several members of an international primate smuggling ring for their role in bringing long-tailed macaques into the U.S.

Long-tailed macaques are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and require special permits in order to be imported into the U.S, Reuters reported.