Millions of Americans with cancer now have to face a harsh truth: the biggest drug companies are having a great time while their lives are in danger. A new legislative analysis shows that the popular cancer drug Keytruda (brand name for pembrolizumab) costs about $24,000 every six weeks in the U.S.
Now it’s even harder to challenge that price tag thanks to a new law pushed by Trump and other GOP lawmakers. Why do people who are already in pain have to pay the ultimate price while Big Pharma gets billions?
The Human Cost of a $24K Dose
Keytruda costs $11,337 for one 200 mg dose without insurance. This brings the sticker price for a six-week interval to $23,138.32. The reality is that very few people can really afford to buy every dose cycle.
Imagine having to wait for your next injection while knowing that those tens of thousands of dollars could mean the difference between getting better and dying. While your insurance company is negotiating behind closed doors, you are taking on most of the risk.
Advocates and patients believe this is all about profit and not innovation. There’s no doubt that the drug gives people hope, but it also forces them to make a terrible choice: stay alive or go bankrupt.
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How Washington Played Pharma’s Side
The recent legislative change to the ORPHAN Cures Act, hidden in a GOP budget package, makes it harder or impossible for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the government to negotiate drug prices on behalf of taxpayers. It was first estimated that this move would cost $5 billion, but now the Congressional Budget Office says it will cost $8.8 billion over the next ten years.
Let’s spell out what that means. Seniors and cancer patients in the U.S. have to pay $24,000 every six weeks, while Congress and the White House give the industry a big “get-out-of-negotiations” card. The executives keep getting rich, and real Americans are the ones who have to pay for it all.
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