The Secret Monopoly Behind Outrageous U.S. Drug Prices

Most people agree that American drug prices are too high — and it seems to be getting worse. Every month or so there comes yet another story about some holder of a pharmaceutical patent jacking the price up a zillion percent to make a quick buck at the expense of sick people. Martin Shkreli, the hedge fund "pharma bro" who has since been charged with securities fraud, made himself the villainous face of price-gouging doing just that — though Mylan Pharmaceuticals, which pulled the same routine with a device originally developed for the U.S. military, may be an even more stark example.