President Donald Trump has announced Alex Azar to be his new health secretary nominee, the New York Times reports. The Department of Health and Human Services encompasses a number of agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Until this past January, Azar led pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly's US division, the Times says. Prior to his 10 years with Eli Lilly, Azar served as a deputy at HHS under President George W. Bush, was a clerk to Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, and worked on the Clinton Whitewater investigation.
In announcing Azar's nomination on Twitter, Trump said Azar would "be a star for better healthcare and lower drug prices."
Azar is to replace Tom Price, who stepped down from the post in September, following allegations of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on private flights.