Why Do Drugs Cost So Much?!
Most people assume the answer is simple: greed. But the real story is far more complicated — and far more surprising.
In this episode, I sit down with Sam Kazer, PhD, a scientist who has worked across academia, global health, and the pharmaceutical industry, to break down what it actually takes to turn an idea into a real medicine. We talk about why drug development takes 10+ years, why clinical trials are so expensive, and why most drug ideas fail long before they ever reach patients.
We also explore:
- Why “Big Pharma” isn’t a single villain
- How academic research and industry depend on each other
- Why biologic drugs cost more than small-molecule drugs
- How public funding quietly enables many of the medicines we rely on
- What people misunderstand most about drug pricing and regulation
This isn’t a defense of the pharmaceutical industry — it’s an explanation of the system we all rely on, and why simple answers don’t capture the full picture.
