May 21, 2026
WATCH: Inside the Cancer Calculus investigation — a live Q&A
Go behind the scenes of the Cancer Calculus investigation, and hear insights about Merck's cancer drug Keytruda from ICIJ's chief reporter and a health economist.
Cancer Calculus
May 11, 2026
Following the paper trail to Guatemala to uncover what records can’t reveal about access to Keytruda
I had read countless legal documents about the world's bestselling drug. But it took a trip to Latin America to see how scarcity shapes life and death decisions.
Apr 23, 2026
‘Unacceptable’: Lawmakers react to revelations from ICIJ’s Cancer Calculus investigation
In hearings around the world, politicians and experts called for inquiries into inequities surrounding Merck's anti-cancer drug Keytruda.
Apr 21, 2026
A ‘burgeoning black market’, inflated dosing and the over-judicialization of health care: reporters around the world tell stories about Keytruda
In a yearlong investigation led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, reporters from more than 37 countries found the cancer drug’s high price impacts patients and health systems differently.
Apr 17, 2026
Report: Merck’s blockbuster cancer drug topped $200,000 a year under Trump
Despite the president’s plan to lower prescription medicine costs, the price of many of the most expensive drugs — including several immunotherapy treatments — have continued to rise.
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.
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.