Apr 13, 2026
How Merck turned its wonder drug into a blockbuster — and priced out cancer patients worldwide
The pharmaceutical giant has built a fortress of patents, traded in secrecy and relentlessly lobbied to guard its revenue kingpin Keytruda.
Cancer Calculus
Apr 13, 2026
Counterfeiters cash in on the world’s bestselling cancer drug
Desperate patients — and even hospitals — have become unwitting customers of fake Keytruda, with potentially fatal consequences.
Apr 13, 2026
‘They deny the medication that is keeping you alive’: Patients wage grueling legal battles for lifesaving cancer drug
As bureaucratic fights to access Keytruda drag on for years, some patients die waiting.
Apr 13, 2026
How Merck uses patents to help maintain Keytruda’s exorbitant price
Explore the U.S. patents Merck deploys to stymie competition and keep revenues for its blockbuster cancer drug flowing as long as possible.
Apr 13, 2026
WATCH: How Merck keeps Keytruda prices sky-high
Bringing together journalists from around the world, Cancer Calculus exposes how families are struggling to access Merck's groundbreaking cancer treatment, and how health care systems are straining under the drug's high price.
Apr 13, 2026
Frequently asked questions about the Cancer Calculus investigation
What is Keytruda? Why is it so expensive? The key findings of the Cancer Calculus, and more.
Apr 13, 2026
About the Cancer Calculus investigation
How Merck keeps the price of its lifesaving cancer drug, Keytruda, sky-high, locking out patients and squeezing health care systems worldwide.