Merck's cancer drug Keytruda costs $210,000 per year of treatment in the U.S. and has risen 6% in the past year — even though Merck signed a confidential deal with the Trump administration pledging to lower drug prices. The core facts are solid — the Senate report and Merck's own statements confirm both the price and the deal's existence. What the post doesn't explain: Merck has kept Keytruda expensive through patent strategies and price opacity, and the company refuses to clarify whether Keytruda was even included in the administration deal, suggesting it may have been deliberately excluded.