Trump’s Pick for HHS Tells Senate Drug Prices are Too High

President Trump’s nominee for the next secretary of HHS, former Eli Lilly executive Alex Azar, told the Senate’s health committee Wednesday he agrees prescription drug prices are too high, and would welcome congressional action if appointed to the post.

Azar opened the hearing by saying the nation’s healthcare system has to be fixed — and that blame is shared among all its players — but he conceded that the list prices set by drug manufacturers must go down.

He also pointed to the need to fight industry gaming of FDA’s processes, and stated his opposition to companies making multiple fillings to evergreen a product’s patent life. In addition, he questioned whether a REMS should still be required near the end of a drug’s patent life while it transitions to generic status.