A watchdog group has asked ethics officials at the Department of Health and Human Services to investigate the relationship between Alex Azar, who heads the department, and Eli Lilly (LLY), his former employer, over a recently proposed rule that would benefit drug makers.
The request by the Campaign for Accountability, a nonprofit, comes in response to a proposal the Trump administration is considering to reduce or restrict rebates, which are essentially a type of discount that drug makers provide pharmacy benefit managers off the wholesale, or list, price for their medicines in order to receive favorable placement on formularies, which are lists of insured drugs.
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Given Mr Azara’s past – “The nonprofit is not the first to raise questions about dealings between Azar and his HHS staff and drug makers over the administration blueprint.” Is it surprising to hear that his history is not ‘Lilly white” as it were?
The proverbial fox guarding the henhouse, I’m afraid.