The power of the pharmaceutical companies | DW Documentary
DW Documentary・21 minutes read
A father diagnosed with cancer faces high treatment costs and debates over pharmaceutical industry pricing strategies. Despite fundraising and negotiations, the exorbitant prices of medications like Kymriah raise ethical concerns about treatment access and affordability.
Insights
- Novartis' drug Kymriah, priced at 370,000 francs, is a cutting-edge gene therapy offering hope for cancer patients but raises concerns about affordability and ethical access to life-saving treatments.
- The pharmaceutical industry's pricing strategies, exemplified by Novartis' pricing of Kymriah, have come under scrutiny, with debates on fair pricing models, negotiation with health insurance companies, and the ethical implications of treatment access amidst high costs and uncertainties about long-term effectiveness.
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Recent questions
What is Kymriah?
A gene therapy using cancer killer cells.
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Summary
00:00
High Costs of Cancer Treatments Spark Debate
- Michael Monstein, a father of two, received a sudden diagnosis of aggressive cancer, leading to a life-altering situation.
- Two chemotherapy treatments failed, leaving him with a prognosis of two to three months to live if untreated.
- His last hope lies in gene therapy with cancer killer cells like Kymriah from Novartis, costing 370,000 francs.
- Luxturna, a new drug costing $850,000, and Zolgensma, the world's most expensive drug at $2.1 million, are also part of the treatment options.
- Health insurance companies are negotiating the high prices of these treatments, with uncertainties about reimbursement.
- Kymriah, a new therapy involving genetically modified immune cells, is priced at 370,000 francs by Novartis.
- The pharmaceutical industry's pricing strategies are under scrutiny, with concerns about affordability and access to life-saving treatments.
- The debate includes discussions on whether health insurance should only pay for successful cases and the ethical implications of treatment access.
- Michael Monstein's family raised funds for his treatment, but unfortunately, he passed away due to complications in the production of his cancer killer cells.
- A former pharmaceutical industry CEO, now battling cancer, criticizes the exorbitant prices of medications like Kymriah and highlights the disparity between production costs and market prices.
20:14
"Novartis' Kymriah Pricing and Tax Benefits"
- Paul Kleutghen was CEO of a company acquired by Novartis in 2002.
- Novartis benefited from a 50% tax discount on Kymriah's study costs.
- Taxpayers funded part of Kymriah's development.
- A pricing model for Kymriah was created based on Novartis' $1 billion investment.
- The fair price for Kymriah this year is $200,000 for 1,700 patients in the USA and Europe.
- The price can decrease as more patients are treated, potentially to half of 370,000 francs.
- The fair price ensures Novartis achieves a 20.7% average operating profit.
- Health insurance association Santésuisse demands 200,000 francs for Kymriah.
- Transparency criticism towards the pharmaceutical industry is increasing globally.
- Negotiations between health insurance companies and Novartis led to a 20-30% discount for Kymriah.
40:00
Hope and uncertainty in cancer treatment.
- The old pictures are reviewed, showing noise around the port and a significant mass in the muscle box and lower leg with weak activity. The tumor mass has completely disappeared without any inflammation, but uncertainty remains about the cancer's return. Treatment with Kymriah and CAR-T cells at Inselspital has shown promising results, with Kurt Benninger's cancer disappearing post-treatment. The Novartis study indicates it takes about a year to determine which patients are cancer-free, with over half succumbing to the disease. The long-term effects of cancer-killing cells in the body are unknown, highlighting the costly hope for survival in the evolving field of medicine.
