The high-level federal official tasked with lowering drug prices was found dead and, according to authorities in Washington, took his own life.
Daniel Best was the senior adviser to Alex Azar, secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), for drug pricing reform.
Best was a drug industry insider. He worked for more than a decade in various executive roles for the drugmaker Pfizer, Universal American, MemberHealth, and CVS Caremark Corporation.
His March appointment to HSS sparked criticism from some opponents of President Donald Trump, who accused the administration of cozying up to the drug industry. Azar is also a former pharma executive as well as lobbyist.
Pharma ‘Shake Up’
Azar and Best will “know where the bodies are buried,” a health insurance lobbyist told Stat in May, though he added the two would also know how far they could go against the industry. “You can only shake up so much.”Best apparently wanted to shake up quite a bit.
As Best explained, Americans often pay much higher prices than people in other developed countries for some expensive drugs. The plan was to attempt to level the playing field by tying how much Medicare pays for some drugs to a selection of international prices, instead of the average U.S. price.
Many European countries, for instance, exercise broad control over health care and dictate how much companies can charge for drugs. Conservative pundits have long complained over the oversized chunk of pharmaceutical research paid by Americans through higher drug prices.
Rebates
Other initiatives of Best included opening the market to generics and biosimilar drugs, and restructuring drug rebate programs that are blamed by some for driving up prices.Nice Guy
People who came into professional contact with Best described him as a congenial person and tough negotiator.“He’s got a real nice personality,” said Chuck Spinelli, former team member of Best’s at MemberHealth. “He’s not a jerk, he’s not overbearing. He’s approachable, and pharma liked him. They appreciated working with him. He was very transparent. He was very honest. He didn’t play any games.”
Spinelli recalled a story of another of Best’s former coworkers who tried to get Best to include a new drug he was selling onto an insurance plan Best managed. But Best disregarded the longtime personal connection and refused the drug as it wasn’t a good fit for his customers.
Best grew up in the Erie, Pennsylvania, area and graduated from the University of Dayton. He leaves behind a wife and three sons.
“He brought his deep expertise and passion to this task with great humility and collegiality,” Azar said in a statement after news of Best’s death. “All of us who served with Dan at HHS and in the administration mourn his passing and extend our thoughts and prayers to his wife Lisa and the entire Best family at this difficult time.”