WASHINGTON – Newly disclosed financial records show that President Donald Trump’s nominee to become secretary of the Health and Human Services Department reaped big earnings during his tenure as a top pharmaceutical executive.
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Former Eli Lilly and Co. executive Alex Azar (AY’-zahr) built a portfolio now worth as much as $20.6 million and was paid nearly $2 million in his final year at the company.
Azar was a former general counsel at HHS during President George W. Bush’s administration. If confirmed, he would replace Tom Price, who resigned under pressure after using private charter flights at taxpayer expense.
Azar oversaw Eli Lilly’s lobbying of the federal government during a sensitive two-year period when the pharmaceutical firm was under investigation by the Justice Department for improperly marketing a medication used for schizophrenia.
