Jan 12 (Reuters) - Charles River Laboratories CRL.N said on Monday it would buy one of its major suppliers of non-human primates for about $510 million as the contract research firm seeks greater control over procurement of the animals used in drug safety testing.

The acquisition of K.F. (Cambodia) Ltd, which has supplied around 30% of the NHPs used by the company's drug discovery and safety assessment unit over the last two years, will also help save costs, Charles River said.

The contract researcher had in 2023 suspended the shipment of NHPs from Cambodia as the Department of Justice and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigated the company over smuggling of wild long-tailed macaques to the United States.

"The planned ownership of K.F. will enable greater oversight and operational control of a key supply source, including a continued focus on biosecurity, regulatory compliance, and audit practices," Charles River said.

Including Noveprim, Charles River's NHP supplier in Mauritius, the deal will allow it to own and internally source most of its future annual NHP supply requirements for DSA, it added.

The deal is expected to close early in the first quarter of 2026.

(Reporting by Nathan Gomes in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo)

((Nathan.Gomes@thomsonreuters.com;))