ProPublica reporter David Armstrong began investigating the pharmaceutical industry when he learned a single pill of his cancer treatment costs about the same as a new iPhone — but costs 25 cents to make. His investigation into the discovery and marketing of the drug Revlimid revealed strategies employed by pharmaceutical companies to ward off competition, and keep prices of their medications high. We'll also talk about ways insurance companies deny claims for tests and treatment recommended by doctors.Also, David Bianculli reviews a music documentary about singer-songwriter Janis Ian.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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This is Fresh Air. I'm Dave Davies. Our guest today, David Armstrong, is a veteran investigative reporter who in 2023 was writing stories about challenges for patients in American health care when he was suddenly plunged into his subject in a deeply personal way. He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer.
He would soon be prescribed a drug called Revlimid, which is cheap to make but really expensive to buy. A single pill costs nearly $1,000, roughly the price of a new iPhone. Armstrong decided to research the development and marketing of the drug, and he discovered tactics used by drug companies to maintain monopolies on their medications as long as possible and keep prices high.
Revlimid is one of the best-selling pharmaceuticals of all time, with total sales of more than $100 billion. This is also remarkable since the parent compound in Revlimid, thalidomide, was banned in most of the world in the 1960s, after it was shown to cause severe birth defects when given to pregnant women. David Armstrong is a senior reporter for ProPublica who focuses on health care.
He previously reported for STAT, the online service reporting on health and medicine, as well as the Boston Globe and the Wall Street Journal, where he shared a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the 9-11 attacks. His new story about Revlimid is The Price of Remission. You can find it at the ProPublica website. Well, David Armstrong, welcome to Fresh Air.
Thanks for having me.
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