Earlier this week Alex Azar was sworn in as the new leader of the Department of Health and Human Services, a move that President Trump said will result in a drop in prescription drug prices. When commenting on the appointment of the former HHS official and pharmaceutical executive, Trump said: “We have to get the prices of prescription drugs way down and unravel the tangled web of special interest that are driving prices up for medicine and for really hurting patients.” He added, “As our new secretary, Alex will continue to implement the administrative and regulatory changes needed to ensure that our citizens get the affordable high-quality care that they deserve.”Prior to Azar's appointment, the head of the HHS was Tom Price, though he resigned back in September after “coming under fire for traveling on chartered and military aircraft.” In his new position, Azar will be tasked with “curbing the opioid crisis,” of which Trump commented, “I think we’re going to be very tough on the drug companies in that regard and very tough on doctors in that regard.”Azar was confirmed by the Senate last week “in a 55-43 vote.” Of those who voted, “six Democrats, and Independent Sen. Angus King (Maine) joined all but one Republican to support the confirmation.” Not everyone is excited about the confirmation, though. Many Democrats who opposed the appointment pointed to Azar's time working at Eli Lilly and how the “costs of several drugs more than doubled during his tenure at the company.” Other Democrats are concerned “that Azar will continue what they view as the Trump administration’s attempts to sabotage ObamaCare.”

Department of Health and Human Services Seal; image courtesy of U.S. Government via Wikimedia Commons

Those in support of Azar's confirmation, mainly Republicans, pushed back against the Democrats concerns, arguing that he has the “experience needed to run HHS, a large department charged with overseeing Medicare and Medicaid, drug approvals, disease control and much more.” Many also noted that Azar's “experience in the pharmaceutical industry was an asset, as he’d already be up to speed on such a complex issue and would know the effect potential policies could have.”Azar even pushed back against Democrat concerns of his time at Eli Lilly, saying:“I don’t know that there is any drug price of a branded product that has ever gone down from any company on any drug in the United States because every incentive in this system is toward higher prices…And that is where we can do things together working as the government to get at this. No one company is going to fix that system, that’s why I want to be here working with you.”As for how he feels about Trump's direction for the department? Well, so far Azar seems to agree with him. In a recent statement, he said: “We have to tackle the scourge of the opioid crisis, and we will bring down prescription drug prices.”

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