Trump Administration Adviser on Drug Price Policy Dan Best Dies

(Bloomberg) -- Dan Best, who helped lead the Trump administration’s recent efforts in Washington to lower drug prices, has died.

The Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday that Best, the department’s senior adviser on drug pricing reform, had passed. HHS spokeswoman Caitlin Oakley declined to comment on the cause of death.

Before joining the administration, Best had been vice president of industry relations for the drugstore and pharmacy benefit company CVS Health Corp. Last week he attended a speech Trump gave at the health department on new actions to lower the prices of certain drugs in Medicare.

“He brought his deep expertise and passion to this task with great humility and collegiality,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement. “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.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Anna Edney in Washington at aedney@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Drew Armstrong at darmstrong17@bloomberg.net, Cecile Daurat

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