Alex Azar

By November 13, 2019 January 31st, 2020 Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services

Big Pharma's Best Friends

Alex Azar

Alex Azar, currently the secretary of HHS, was previously a top executive at Eli Lilly.  

According to his financial disclosure, Azar’s Eli Lilly salary/bonus was $1,996,817. He also received a $1,600,000 severance package from Eli Lilly, another $756,703 in various forms of compensation from the company and made as much as $1 million in capital gains from Eli Lilly stock.

  • During Azar’s tenure at Eli Lilly, the diabetes drug Humalog went from $74 a vial to $269 a vial.
  • Eli Lilly increased the price of insulin by 345% while Azar was at the company.
  • Eli Lilly is named as a defendant in a class action lawsuit alleging price fixing during Azar’s tenure.

[Sources: Alex Azar Financial Disclosure; The Nation; Washington Post; The Hill]