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submitted 11 months ago by yogthos@lemmy.ml to c/us_news@lemmygrad.ml
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[-] GhostSpider@hexbear.net 39 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

China created a new cancer drug that will be sold in the US, but at what cost?

[-] redtea@lemmygrad.ml 18 points 11 months ago

This time? There's a number on it! $8,892/ea.

[-] ksynwa@lemmygrad.ml 33 points 11 months ago

FREEEDUM

The authors [of a study] found that of the 60 drugs they studied – representing one-fifth of all drugs approved in their study time period of 2009 to 2018 – there was no association between estimated research costs and the drugs’ listed price.

“Drug companies charge what the market will bear,” the researchers said. This is influenced by demand for the drug, whether patients need to continuously take it, and existing market competition.

When [the Chinese cancer drug] Toripalimab was approved, there was speculation the drug could be priced at a significant discount compared with its main competitor on the US market. This stemmed from pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly promising that the Chinese PD-1 inhibitor they were seeking FDA approval for would come at a 40 per cent discount if approved.

But during an investor call after Toripalimab received approval, Dennis Lanfear, the chief executive of Coherus, said such a “heavily” reduced price was off the table, according to FiercePharma.

Keytruda, New Jersey-based Merck & Co’s main counterpart to Toripalimab, is also sold in China and its list price on entering the market was half its price in the US, according to FiercePharma.

[-] PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmygrad.ml 13 points 11 months ago

Now that'a a really fierce pharma.

[-] taiphlosion@lemmygrad.ml 28 points 11 months ago

Lmao just reminds me of this video I watched a while back when a Chinese pharmaceutical company had to negotiate the price of their drug with the government and the way the representative was sweating every time the government rep said lower the price had me so weak. Mans had to call his boss several times and then ended up giving the government the price they wanted anyway 💀

[-] urshanabi@lemmygrad.ml 13 points 11 months ago

That sounds hilarious, do you have a link by any chance?

[-] LarkinDePark@lemmygrad.ml 12 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)
[-] redtea@lemmygrad.ml 12 points 11 months ago

This is enough to make you tear up. Knowing how expensive medicine is in liberal 'democracies'.

This is also one of the reasons it's hard to learn Chinese. You can hear the words but they don't make sense:

Capitalist rep, offering a high price: This is the best we can do.

Chinese official: no

Rinse and repeat

Capitalist rep: This is the absolute lowest we can go.

Chinese official: The price. It sounds like death to me. I think you can shave off four cents.

Capitalist rep, defeated: okay.

Incomprehensible to westerners.

The official knows, too, lol, that the lower the price, the more likely the rep is getting sacked and so might be relying on state medicine without a private parachute. The lower he goes, the greater the incentive to get that price down even lower by both parties. Beautiful.

[-] TankieReplyBot@lemmygrad.ml 2 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:

[-] Tankiedesantski@hexbear.net 25 points 11 months ago

ASPI: Xi Jinping is genociding the cancer cells.

[-] PoY@lemmygrad.ml 7 points 11 months ago

but at too low a cost!!

[-] reazonozaer@lemmygrad.ml 18 points 11 months ago

That's the cost of "Freedom and Democracy"

[-] YourFavoriteFed@hexbear.net 15 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

MFW I unironically might want to look into teaching English in a foreign country just to survive.

Literally a whole ass country got gentrified into being a giant-ass country club lmao.

[-] Tankiedesantski@hexbear.net 7 points 11 months ago

Dont know about your current circumstances but please consider pursuing a teaching qualification first so you aren't forced to participate in the white-supremacist placebo system of English "teaching" that's present in many countries, especially Asia.

Nothing good will come of that system for you or your students.

[-] barrbaric@hexbear.net 15 points 11 months ago

Isn't 30x what everyone else pays actually kind of low for drugs? I guess it's because the base price is already actually kinda high.

[-] Alunyanners@lemmygrad.ml 15 points 11 months ago

just buy them directly from china

simple as

😎

[-] sooper_dooper_roofer@hexbear.net 15 points 11 months ago
[-] Alunyanners@lemmygrad.ml 9 points 11 months ago

is it still gombulism if you can buy it? 🤭🤭🤭

[-] sooper_dooper_roofer@hexbear.net 8 points 11 months ago
[-] Alunyanners@lemmygrad.ml 5 points 11 months ago

the sissy pee is just one C away from being CCCP, so yes

communism is when china 🫡 🫡

[-] usa_suxxx@hexbear.net 15 points 11 months ago

30x is the wholesale price so who knows how absurd the actual consumer price is

[-] yogthos@lemmy.ml 2 points 11 months ago

good point!

[-] Thordros@hexbear.net 15 points 11 months ago

Capitalism thinks this is fine.

[-] DefinitelyNotAPhone@hexbear.net 14 points 11 months ago

Out of curiosity, what's it cost to fly to China, grab a long-term hotel room, and get treatment there for a foreign national?

[-] ComradeSalad@lemmygrad.ml 6 points 11 months ago

Probably the same, if not more. Plus any visa you get is going to max out at 90 days, meaning you have to leave and reenter China which racks up more expenses.

[-] WaterBowlSlime@lemmygrad.ml 11 points 11 months ago

Many people already go to Mexico for dental work so I imagine it's possible to do something similar with China, if your medical bills are high enough.

[-] ComradeSalad@lemmygrad.ml 5 points 11 months ago

Yeah, but that’s simple border hopping for a day or two to get quick dental work. Cancer treatments take months if not years, and it would be an insane workaround to try and get it to work.

[-] WaterBowlSlime@lemmygrad.ml 6 points 11 months ago

That's true. But also this is US healthcare we're talking about so I'd believe it if flying to China works out to be cheaper for someone lol

[-] redtea@lemmygrad.ml 6 points 11 months ago

I've heard Iran is very good for medical tourism.

[-] Tankiedesantski@hexbear.net 2 points 11 months ago

Probably the same, if not more.

$8k is for a single dose though. If a full course of treatment is more than one or two doses...

[-] lorty@lemmygrad.ml 14 points 11 months ago

It's just good business. If you commies knew how to do such gooddest deals you would be just as rich and love capitalism.

[-] sooper_dooper_roofer@hexbear.net 10 points 11 months ago

they really dooby stealin technology

[-] big_spoon@lemmygrad.ml 6 points 11 months ago

it wouldn't be the burgerreich without those ideals

this post was submitted on 29 Nov 2023
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