HHS again has a permanent leader as former Eli Lilly executive Alex Azar was sworn in as the department’s secretary on Jan. 29—four months to the day after his predecessor, Tom Price, MD, resigned over his use of publicly-funded charter flights.
Azar was sworn in at the White House by Vice President Mike Pence. In remarks afterwards, President Donald Trump said Azar’s top priorities will be tackling the opioid epidemic, which would mean being “tough on doctors” and drug companies, according to Trump, as well as taking actions to lower prescription drug prices.
