How the Pricing of a Single Drug Changed an Entire Industry episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 18, 2026 · 10 MIN

How the Pricing of a Single Drug Changed an Entire Industry

from Pricing Power Podcast with Fexingo: How Businesses Set Prices, Raise Margins, and Win Customers · host Fexingo

In this episode of Pricing Power Podcast, Lucas and Luna examine the dramatic pricing story of Gilead's hepatitis C drug Sovaldi, which launched at $84,000 per course in 2013. They trace how that single price triggered a backlash that reshaped drug pricing across the entire pharmaceutical industry, from Medicare negotiation rules to the rise of pharmacy benefit managers. Specific figures include the $1,000 pill, the 95 percent cure rate, and the 50 percent discount Gilead eventually offered. The hosts discuss the tension between recouping R&D costs and public health access, and how the controversy presaged today's broader pricing crackdown. This episode connects a specific 2010s pricing moment to lasting structural changes that affect every drug company's pricing strategy today. #Gilead #Sovaldi #DrugPricing #HepatitisC #PharmaceuticalPricing #PricingStrategy #Medicare #RAndD #PublicHealth #PricingBacklash #PharmacyBenefitManagers #Business #BusinessPodcast #FexingoBusiness #PricingPower #Episode60 #SpecificCase #PricingControversy Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

In this episode of Pricing Power Podcast, Lucas and Luna examine the dramatic pricing story of Gilead's hepatitis C drug Sovaldi, which launched at $84,000 per course in 2013. They trace how that single price triggered a backlash that reshaped drug pricing across the entire pharmaceutical industry, from Medicare negotiation rules to the rise of pharmacy benefit managers. Specific figures include the $1,000 pill, the 95 percent cure rate, and the 50 percent discount Gilead eventually offered. The hosts discuss the tension between recouping R&D costs and public health access, and how the controversy presaged today's broader pricing crackdown. This episode connects a specific 2010s pricing moment to lasting structural changes that affect every drug company's pricing strategy today. #Gilead #Sovaldi #DrugPricing #HepatitisC #PharmaceuticalPricing #PricingStrategy #Medicare #RAndD #PublicHealth #PricingBacklash #PharmacyBenefitManagers #Business #BusinessPodcast #FexingoBusiness #PricingPower #Episode60 #SpecificCase #PricingControversy Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

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How the Pricing of a Single Drug Changed an Entire Industry

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How long is this episode of Pricing Power Podcast with Fexingo: How Businesses Set Prices, Raise Margins, and Win Customers?

This episode is 10 minutes long.

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This episode was published on June 18, 2026.

What is this episode about?

In this episode of Pricing Power Podcast, Lucas and Luna examine the dramatic pricing story of Gilead's hepatitis C drug Sovaldi, which launched at $84,000 per course in 2013. They trace how that single price triggered a backlash that reshaped drug...

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