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Trump’s Pick for HHS Secretary is Former Pharma Executive Alex Azar

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Deputy Secretary Alex M. Azar and Ireland's former Minister for Health and Children Mary Harney(Mirror Daily, United States) – On Monday, President Donald Trump proudly presented Alex Azar, the former head of pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, as the country’s next HHS secretary. The President is confident Azar could provide America with affordable healthcare and lower drug prices.

If the new HHS head is confirmed, he would take the seat of Tom Price, who had to step down in September in the midst of a scandal regarding his government-funded private charter flights for official and personal business. The trips cost the federal government thousands of dollars when cheaper alternatives were available.

Azar would be in charge of regulatory matters concerning the industry he helped thrive for more than a decade. He would also help the Trump administration to dismantle Obamacare and crack down on drug prices.

Azar’s Bio

Azar served as a HHS official under the George W. Bush administration for about six years before joining the pharmaceutical complex in 2007.

I realized I had found my life’s calling: to help people around the world live longer, healthier, and happier lives,

Azar said about joining the company.

At Eli Lilly, he served as senior vice president for the firm’s global communications and government affairs unit. In 2012, he became the president of the company’s affiliate for North America, Lilly USA.

After leaving the company, he founded Seraphim Strategies, a consulting firm specialized in pharmaceutical matters. In May, he told Fox News that, in his opinion, Obamacare was “circling the drain” and should be stopped.

At the time, Azar said President Obama’s signature healthcare law was making it impossible for insurers to predict risk and operate normally as private businesses. He also thinks Medicaid should be turned into a block grant program and be run by the private sector.
Image Source: Wikimedia

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John Birks

John holds a diploma in journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. He covers the technology, social media, green business, eco-travel, politics, arts culture.

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