NABR ALERT: PRIMATE Act Misfires on Science, Risks U.S. Medical Progress

A new push in Congress to restrict nonhuman primate (NHP) imports is being framed as a bio-security measure. The facts tell a different story, and the consequences could be immediate and severe for American patients, research, and global competitiveness.

Here’s what’s being missed:

• China isn’t even in the supply chain; exports have been zero since 2020.
• The bill’s headline pathogen risks are misapplied or already endemic in the U.S.
• Imported research primates undergo strict quarantine and testing, far beyond most entry pathways.
• There are still no validated alternatives for many critical areas of drug development.

What this bill would actually do:

• Disrupt preclinical testing pipelines
• Delay vaccines, therapies, and cures
• Push research capacity overseas
• Undercut U.S. leadership in biomedical innovation

This isn’t a narrow regulatory tweak; it’s a structural hit on how modern medicine gets developed. Every breakthrough, from vaccines to gene therapies, depends on a system that works. Disrupting one of its core components doesn’t eliminate risk. It shifts it to patients waiting for answers. If enacted, this policy won’t stop disease, it will slow cures.

Congress needs to hear from the scientific and medical community NOW.

Tell your lawmakers:

• Reject policy built on outdated or incorrect assumptions
• Protect secure, regulated NHP import pathways
• Support evidence-based biosecurity, not ideology
• Ensure the U.S. can develop the next generation of treatments without delay