True enough, Rahway has reaped nearly $100 billion, life to date, on revenues from pembrolizumab. At the same time, Jimmy Carter lived about 15 extra years, after a nearly certain six month death sentence (aggressive melanoma) — directly as a result of the therapy’s efficacy. [You might even call that a cure, as what he ultimately died of was not any cancer, at all.]
Still, ~$200K a year for several years is a very steep price. And clearly the US patent laws do allow quite a bit of gamesmanship, as to what is (or is not) a novel invention — and thus drug companies may easily extend the “exclusivity” / life of long existing patents. [The most recent lobby spend trends at right confirm Merck is bending Congressional ears on this topic, among many others.] Here’s that story:
…Sen. Maggie Hassan is pressing pharmaceutical giant Merck over access and cost issues around one of its most popular and best-selling drugs.
Hassan is raising questions about the number of patents Merck has filed to protect cancer drug Keytruda, saying it has potentially kept biosimilar and generic versions from reaching the market at lower costs to consumers.
“If they won’t agree to stop gaming the system this way and artificially pumping up their prices, then we need to take legislative action and meet it head-on,” Hassan said.
The senator said that right now, the annual cost of Keytruda for a single patient is around $200,000….
Now you know. Great match last night — and to be sure, we will have another steamy day here. The most concerning fires (to me), are now moderating — out West. And watching tons of little kids (in this very blue city, and state) wave flags and cheer, in the final minutes of the US men’s match last night in the park… leads me to the opinion that we “liberals” — and all people of good conscience, really — need to reclaim that flag. It does not fly for hatred, in the night.
Trule patriots are quite often life-long Democrats, too — and being proud of our nation’s accomplishments, while remaining humble and accepting of our short-comings (and more importantly, being willing to aggressively tackle these wrongful policies, as the same emerge) — is the most American kind of patriotism I might imagine. We need “liberals” to no longer equate the stars & stripes… with MAGA (and its mindless hate). So, onward, to Seattle! End, sermon.
नमस्ते
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