Here are four things to know about the appointment.
1. As leader of HHS’ effort to lower drug costs, Mr. Best will manage daily tasks associated with the initiative.
2. Mr. Best oversees industry relations for CVS’ Medicare Part D arm. He joined the company in 2011 when CVS acquired Universal American’s Part D business. Before that, Mr. Best worked for Pfizer, Politico reports.
3. At a March 19 speech in Manchester, N.H., President Donald Trump reaffirmed his pledge to
lower prescription drug prices. He said his administration would lay out new steps to address the issue in April.
“If you compare our drug prices to other countries in the world, in some cases it’s many times higher for the exact same pill or whatever it is, in the exact same package made in the exact same plant,” President Trump said during the speech. “We’re going to change that.”
4. At the New Hampshire speech, Mr. Azar said the drug price proposals will address “how we decrease the price of drugs and how we bring discounts that the middlemen right now are getting … to our patients,” according to Reuters.
Mackenzie Bean contributed to this article.
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