Novartis to Charge $475,000 for a Cancer Drug

Compassion Runs Shallow at That Company

It is not an easy answer to the question of how much a pharmaceutical company should charge for life savings drugs. On one hand is the life saving drug; it save lives. On the other hand is the company and its shareholders who put up the money to develop the drug. But surely this goes too far.

Swiss pharmaceuticals group Novartis has said it will charge $475,000 a patient for its new cancer therapy, putting it among the most expensive drugs of all time. Bruno Strigini, chief executive of oncology at Novartis, said: “We carefully considered the appropriate price and looked at many factors, including the medical and clinical value.”

Notice he did not say that patient affordability was an issue. Probably never entered his mind.

Even those who hate government are going to have to admit that government has a role to play here. Government should fund the development, take the risk and then make the resultant product available and affordable.