[2025 Analysis] The $25 Billion Monopoly and the Breakers: The Keytruda War
[2025 Analysis] The $25 Billion Monopoly and the Breakers: The Keytruda War 1. The $25 Billion Question: Can You Put a Price Tag on Life? In 2023, the world's best-selling drug was Merck's (MSD) immunotherapy drug, 'Keytruda' . Its sales alone exceeded $25 billion. Known as the "miracle drug" that cured former US President Jimmy Carter's brain tumor, it brings hope. But this miracle comes with a harsh condition: a price tag that approaches $100,000 per year for patients without insurance coverage. Technology is ready to save lives, but capital has turned its back on patients who are not financially prepared. We call this "Financial Toxicity." It is a reality where your bank account dies before the cancer cells do. But in 2025, a movement to crack this fortress of monopoly is gaining serious momentum. "Medicine is for the people. It is not for the profits. The profits follow... However, ...