Cancer Calculus
Zoom interview on 18.8.26
ICIJ’s chief reporter Sydney Freedberg will be joined by Serif
Health’s lead data scientist Bill Pajerowski.
Explore how Keytruda became a case study in the global tension between
medical innovation, pharmaceutical profits and equitable access to
care — shedding light on the broader economic and ethical questions
shaping cancer treatment worldwide.
- A look at how the investigation unfolded
- Key findings and why they matter
- Behind-the-scenes insights from the reporting
- Audience Q&A
About the Speakers:
- Sydney Freedberg
(panelist) is ICIJ’s chief reporter whose
investigative reporting has contributed to four Pulitzer
Prize–winning projects.
- Bill Pajerowski
(panelist) is an experienced health economist and
data scientist currently leading the life sciences vertical at Serif
Health.
- Carmen Molina Acosta
(moderator) is ICIJ’s digital producer and a
reporter who has worked on several investigations including, most
recently, Cancer Calculus and Damascus Dossier.
Keytruda cancer drug
2:37 It uses the person's own immune system
2:46 Multiple cancers
3:12 Not all patients
3:39 Generated 30 billion dollars in 2025
4:04 Patent reaching expiration (2028)
5:04 Annual costs for this drug can exceed $200,000 a year.
5:30 A case study of a broken system
- rewards brokers, not inventors
- investment reimbursed long ago (1.9 billion dollars)
- high price
Cancer Calculus at ICIJ.
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