Lebanese American Alex Azar is the New U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services
By Emiliya Strahilova/Arab America Contributing Writer
“What an honor it is today to become the 24th Secretary of Health and Human Services, here in the United States. Only in America, the grandchild and great-grandchild of immigrants from Lebanon, from the Ukraine, from England, and Switzerland gets to have that opportunity.” These were the first words of Alex Azar, minutes after he was sworn in as Head of the Department of Health and Human Services. Not much later, President Trump promised in public that Azar is going to get the prescription prices “rocketing down”. That supplementary remark was made pointing to the new Secretary’s previous experience as a top drug-company executive. At his former position, Azar raised the cost of medications.
Congratulations to America’s new Secretary of @HHSGov, Alex Azar! pic.twitter.com/Y9inQaCt7o
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2018
Alex Michael Azar II is an Arab American with Lebanese origin and a lawyer by education. He was nominated as Health Secretary by President Trump on November 13, 2017, and confirmed by the United States Senate on January 24, 2018.
He was the United States Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services under George W. Bush from 2005 to 2007. From 2012 to 2017, Azar was President of the U.S. division of Eli Lilly and Company, a major pharmaceutical drug company. Meanwhile, he was a member of the board of directors of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, a pharmaceutical lobby.
Reactions following the swearing-in ceremony were ambiguous. Democrats, in general, and NGOs were not exactly praising the Secretary.
BREAKING: Alex Azar — a former drug company exec with a history of price-spiking lifesaving medicines — has just been sworn in as the nation’s top health official.
Big Pharma’s takeover of our healthcare system is now complete. pic.twitter.com/pi6S42x7bq
— Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) January 29, 2018
The nomination of Alex Azar, who ran Eli Lilly’s U.S. operations over the last decade, shows that Trump’s campaign promises to lower drug prices were nothing more than empty campaign rhetoric. pic.twitter.com/yBRoKR2uaS
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) January 24, 2018
Azar, on the contrary, stated he aims to make health insurance affordable and available. He also said he is determined to confront the opioid addiction epidemic. His supporters note that he is capable and reliable, considering that he had been in Government administration before.