HHS Nominee Sticks To Conservative Talking Points On Drug Prices: ‘There’s No Silver Bullet Here’
At his second Senate hearing, Alex Azar was grilled by Democrats on the Finance Committee questioning his commitment to bringing down high drug costs because of his ties to the pharmaceutical industry. Azar shied away from endorsing the idea of the government to negotiating prices, a concept touted by President Donald Trump.
The New York Times:
Trump Likes Drug Price Negotiations; His Nominee For Health Secretary Doesn’t
Alex M. Azar II, President Trump’s nominee for secretary of health and human services, said Tuesday that he was wary of proposals for the government to negotiate drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries, an idea endorsed by Mr. Trump in the 2016 campaign. But Mr. Azar said that in some situations, he was willing to look at proposals to negotiate prices for a limited number of medicines. (Pear, 1/9)
The Associated Press:
Trump Health Pick Wary Of Government Drug Price Negotiations
Alex Azar, a former pharmaceutical and government executive, acknowledged to the Senate Finance Committee that drug prices are too high and said he'd work to lower them if confirmed as secretary of Health and Human Services. But he said allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices across the board would risk restricting choice for patients, since the government would have to establish an approved list of discounted medications. (1/9)
Reuters:
Health Secretary Nominee Indicates Support For Medicaid Overhaul
Azar appeared before the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday, which will ultimately decide whether to move his nomination forward. Azar also vowed to uphold Obamacare as long as it remained the law but said that the program needed changes. "I believe I have a very important obligation to make the program work as well as possible," Azar said during the wide-ranging hearing that lasted more than two hours. "What we have now is not working for people." (Abutaleb, 1/9)
Stat:
HHS Nominee Azar Signals New Line Of Attack On Drug Prices
In that first hearing, Azar stuck to traditionally conservative policy ideas like encouraging the development of more generic drugs, including “a viable and robust biosimilar market,” and limiting abuses of the patent system. This time, however, he hinted that he is open to other policies that might go further to address the list prices that drug makers charge. “There’s no silver bullet here, though, I want to be very clear. There’s not one action that all of a sudden fixes this,” he said. (Mershon, 1/9)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump HHS Nominee Defends Pharmaceutical-Industry Ties At Senate Hearing
Mr. Azar said in a hearing before the Senate Finance Committee that his past position as president of an Eli Lilly & Co. affiliate gives him a unique advantage in tackling drug costs. “From having worked for the last several years in that space—this is such a complex area, the learning curve for any other individual would be so high,” Mr. Azar said. Bringing down consumer prices would be a central goal, he said, adding, “There is no silver bullet here, I want to be very clear.” Democrats said they had concerns about Mr. Azar’s views on the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid spending, as well as his tenure in the pharmaceutical industry. (Armour, 1/9)