Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is pressing Dr. Mehmet Oz to commit to several divestments ahead of an upcoming hearing on his nomination to become the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Warren said in a letter Wednesday that Oz should divest from any companies that stand to benefit as a result of his role at CMS, recuse himself from matters involving former employers or clients, and abstain from lobbying for or joining any CMS-related industries for at least four years after leaving office.
Related: Dr. Oz to divest of healthcare companies if confirmed to lead CMS
"You have deep ties to companies that could profit from your decisions at CMS," Warren said in the letter. "You also use your public platforms — including your website, TV show, TikTok, and Instagram pages — to promote drugs, such as Ozempic, produced by pharmaceutical companies that are currently seeking expanded CMS coverage approval and that are subject to government drug negotiations — which you would be responsible for conducting."
Oz said in February in an agreement with the Office of Government Ethics that if confirmed he would end investments and resign from advisory roles at several companies, including health and wellness company iHerb, within his first 90 days. His holdings in Medicare Advantage plans, medical tech companies, drug manufacturers and fertility treatment groups have been a subject of concern for Democrats since he was nominated by President Donald Trump in November.
Oz is due to appear before the Senate Finance Committee, of which Warren is a part, on Friday for his confirmation hearing.
