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Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Aug 27 4:05pm | Replies (23)
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Here in Belgium the retail price is 170Euro (190USD) for Orgovyx but free for everyone (insurance is universal). I think these prices are negotiated at the European level so they have a bit of leverage.
The drug companies do need to recoup their investment though (including for any failed drugs along the way) so it looks like the US market is covering a lot of this cost and other markets get the lower rates (which is not fair I know).
On the other hand we don't have drugs available until later than the US: Orgovyx was only available in Nov 2023 in Belgium.
So if you need lifesaving drugs and can pay or have good insurance, the US model has positive points.
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It used to be that the pharma companies had a lot more R&D risk, but I remember reading 10 (?) years ago that the business model had shifted, and that now they outsource much of that risk to smaller biotech startups and then buy the intellectual property once it's become more of a sure thing.
The annoying thing is that much of the riskiest initial research is taxpayer-funded (via universities and other public research institutions), but then taxpayers usually end up paying at the other end of the pipeline once the drug is approved.