Recombinant factor c (rFc) which is mentioned in the article is that synthetic alternative. I have no doubt that it will eventually replace horseshoe crab blood

Recombinant factor c (rFc) which is mentioned in the article is that synthetic alternative. I have no doubt that it will eventually replace horseshoe crab blood for the LAL test, but it takes time for these things to be approved. You need to be absolutely certain that this test works or you will kill people. We need more data to be sure everything is kosher and it's reasonable to be ultra conservative when you have a working method. There is another method which is arguably worse than bleeding horseshoe crabs that also works. (the rabbit pyrogen test) So even if the entire horseshoe crab population died tomorrow we could still manage to keep everything working without our hands being forced.