How a 25-Cent Pill Became a Hundred-Billion-Dollar Business

How a 25-Cent Pill Became a Hundred-Billion-Dollar Business

June 11, 2026 · 41 min

About this episode

David Armstrong investigates the shocking price increase of a cancer drug and its implications for the healthcare system.

Reporter David Armstrong was diagnosed with cancer and soon learned that one of his drugs would cost almost $1,000 per pill. He set out to discover why, and uncovered financial records and legal filings that shocked him. The drugmaker’s strategy to raise the price over and over again helps explain why our healthcare system is the most expensive in the world. Read the original reporting: https://www.propublica.org/article/revlimid-price-cancer-celgene-drugs-fda-multiple-myeloma Support our journalism by donating at propublica.org/donate .

People in this episode

Guest: David Armstrong

Topics covered

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Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ProPublica, Celgene, FDA

Products: Revlimid

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