HHS' Senior Adviser for Drug Pricing Reform Dan Best has died, the department said Nov. 1.
Here are four things to know:
1. Of Mr. Best's passing, CMS Administrator Seema Verma said: "I speak on behalf of all of us at CMS when I say that Dan Best was a remarkable member of our team. What a loss to our country and to all of us personally who had the great privilege of working with Dan."
2. HHS did not specify the cause of Mr. Best's death.
3. Before joining the Trump administration, where he helped lead efforts to lower drug prices, Mr. Best was vice president of industry relations for CVS Health, according to Bloomberg. He spent more than 10 years working for pharmacy benefit managers and attended a speech delivered by President Donald Trump Oct. 25 on actions to lower Medicare drug costs.
4. HHS Secretary Alex Azar commented on Mr. Best's death in a statement to STAT: "It is with tremendous sadness that I learned of the passing of our friend and colleague. I had the great privilege to know Dan Best for the past decade. He joined me here at HHS out of a desire to serve the American people by making healthcare more affordable."