Former Lilly USA Head is Trump’s HHS Pick
President Donald Trump says he is nominating the former president of Lilly USA LLC to be the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Alex Azar left Lilly in January following a leadership restructuring announced by Chief Executive Officer Dave Ricks.
Azar spent 10 years at the pharmaceutical company, including five years as president of its largest affiliate. He came to Lilly in 2007 as senior vice president of corporate affairs and communications, before moving into the role of vice president of Lilly’s U.S. Managed Healthcare Services and Puerto Rico. Under the George W. Bush Administration, Azar was a Deputy Secretary of HHS. He holds degrees from Dartmouth and Yale and was a clerk for Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia.
Azar will succeed acting secretary Eric Hargan, who took on the role at HHS in October.
In a tweet Monday morning, Trump said:
Happy to announce, I am nominating Alex Azar to be the next HHS Secretary. He will be a star for better healthcare and lower drug prices!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 13, 2017
Azar will need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.