Alex Azar, a former executive at pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, is allegedly the top candidate to serve as the next HHS secretary, reports The Hill.
Prior to his role as the senior vice president of corporate affairs at Eli Lilly, Mr. Azar served as the general counsel and deputy secretary of HHS under former President George W. Bush.
If chosen, Mr. Azar will replace former HHS Secretary Tom Price, MD, who resigned in September amid criticism of his extensive use of taxpayer dollars to fund private jets for government related travel.
Other candidates seen as frontrunners for the position — including CMS Administrator Seema Verma and FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD — are no longer under consideration, according to Politico.