WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 – Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued the following statement after voting against the confirmation of Alex Azar’s as secretary of health and human services:

“The nomination of Alex Azar, who ran Eli Lilly’s U.S. operations over the last decade, shows that Trump’s campaign promises to lower drug prices were nothing more than empty campaign rhetoric. During Mr. Azar’s tenure at Eli Lilly, the price of its insulin drug more than doubled and Eli Lilly was fined more than $2 billion. We need a secretary of HHS who is willing to take on the greed of the pharmaceutical industry and lower prescription drug prices, not one who is part of a corrupt system.”