This is TED Health, a podcast from the TED Audio Collective, and I'm your host, Dr. Shoshana Ungerleiter.

If you've ever been shocked by the price of a prescription, you're not alone.

In the U.S., the price of medications can feel like a mystery, one with sky-high stakes.

Take insulin, for example. It costs just a few dollars to make, yet some patients are forced to ration it because of soaring prices. How did we

get here? And more importantly, what can we do about it? Today's TED-Ed lesson unpacks the

tangled web of drug pricing, exposing the hidden players who drive up costs, and the steps that we can take to push for change.

Because when it comes to staying healthy, access shouldn't be a privilege.

Then stick around after the talk for an interview with Dr. Hussein Lalani, an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and

an expert in prescription drug pricing and access to affordable medications. But before we

dive in, a quick break to hear from our sponsors. And now for your TED-Ed lesson of the day.

After helping develop the first insulin therapy in 1921, Canadian physician Frederick Banting

transferred his patent rights to the University of Toronto for $1, stating that insulin

belonged to the world, not to him.

A century later, insulin medications remain essential in treating diabetes and have relatively low production costs, with a vial generally costing less than $6 to make.

But how much it costs a patient to buy varies greatly by country.

Those in the U.S. may pay thousands for insulin annually. On average,

ten times more than those in many other countries, leading some patients to take less than

prescribed. And this is part of a much larger trend. Let's take a look at the U.S. drug supply

chain to understand why. First, there's research and development, which ranges widely in

cost, depending on the drug.

Expenses incurred by the many drugs that don't make it to market also need to be factored in here.

And almost every approved drug has been subsidized by taxes.

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