Porter brings back whiteboard to grill former pharma CEO on cancer drug price hike

Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) went viral this week after grilling former Celgene CEO Mark Alles over his compensation and the price of cancer drug Revlimid during a committee hearing.
Using her now-signature whiteboard board, Porter pointed out that the price of the drug, which is approved to treat the blood cancer multiple myeloma, has spiked from $412 per pill in 2005 to $763 per pill today.
“I’m curious, did the drug get substantially more effective in that time? Did cancer patients need fewer pills?” Porter asked, after writing the price increases on a white board.
The former CEO told the lawmaker that the manufacturing for the pill “would be the same” between 2005 and today.
“Did the drug start to work faster? Were there fewer side effects? How did you change the formula or production of Revlimid to justify this price increase?” Porter asked.
She also grilled Alles on his