Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
During HHS Nominee's Tenure At Eli Lilly, Company Tripled Price Of A Top-Selling Insulin Drug
Politico: Trump's HHS Secretary Nominee Boosted Drug Prices While At Eli Lilly
President Donald Trump tweeted Monday that his nominee for HHS secretary, Alex Azar will “be a star for … lower drug prices!” But the record of the former top executive for Eli Lilly, which tripled the price of a top-selling insulin drug while he led its U.S. operation, suggests a different story. Lilly is one of three drug companies targeted by a class-action lawsuit that accuses the company, then under Azar’s watch, of exploiting the drug pricing system to ensure higher profit for insulin and has been fined in Mexico for colluding on the pricing of the drug. (Karlin-Smith, 11/14)
Roll Call: HHS Pick At Odds With Trump’s Rhetoric On Drug Prices
President Donald Trump’s tweet Monday announcing former pharmaceutical executive Alex Azar as his choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services boasted that Azar “will be a star for better healthcare and lower drug prices!” But Azar, who led drugmaker Eli Lilly and Co.’s United States operations from 2012 until earlier this year, has contributed significantly to the pharmaceutical industry political spending that the president has decried. (Siddons, 11/15)
Stat: On Drug Importation, Trump And His Pick To Lead HHS Are On Opposing Sides
In his quest to bring down drug prices, President Trump has advocated for policy proposals that the pharmaceutical industry opposes, including importing drugs from Canada. But his new health secretary pick — who, if confirmed, would immediately have the authority to kick-start some importation — has firmly rejected the idea. (Mershon, 11/14)
Bloomberg: Drug Costs In The Spotlight With Trump’s Pick For Health Secretary
The drug executive President Donald Trump has picked to lead the Department Health and Human Services isn’t likely to shy away from the topic of sky-high medication prices -- but it may be insurers and drug plans that feel the heat as much as his former industry. Trump’s pick, former Eli Lilly & Co. executive Alex Azar has talked about drug prices during interviews, speeches and panel appearances before leaving Lilly in January and in the months after. His remarks have paralleled a common industry argument, that it’s other parts of the pharmaceutical supply chain that bear a large share of the blame for U.S. outrage over drug costs. (Edney, Hopkins, Rausch, 11/14)
For more news on high drug costs, check out our weekly feature, Prescription Drug Watch, which includes coverage and perspectives of the issue.
