# How a 25-Cent Pill Became a Hundred-Billion-Dollar Business

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/paper-trail-7800276/how-a-25-cent-pill-became-a-hundred-billion-dollar-business
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/paper-trail-7800276/how-a-25-cent-pill-became-a-hundred-billion-dollar-business.md
Podcast: [Paper Trail](https://stenobird.com/podcast/paper-trail-7800276)
Published: 2026-06-11T09:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.propublica.org/podcast/revlimid-cancer-drugs-fda-healthcare
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/swap.fm/track/sblTq32fyWAjsHzze2LG/dovetail.prxu.org/16890/3da0ddf7-726b-429a-af45-5de3c8184ca5/PROPUBLICA__Piloting_Revlimid_MIX_EH_v17.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/paper-trail-7800276/episodes/how-a-25-cent-pill-became-a-hundred-billion-dollar-business
Duration seconds: 2485

## Resource

Reporter David Armstrong was diagnosed with cancer and soon learned that one of his drugs would cost almost $1,000 per pill. He set out to discover why, and uncovered financial records and legal filings that shocked him. The drugmaker’s strategy to raise the price over and over again helps explain why our healthcare system is the most expensive in the world. Read the original reporting: https://www.propublica.org/article/revlimid-price-cancer-celgene-drugs-fda-multiple-myeloma Support our journalism by donating at propublica.org/donate .

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## Transcript

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