The White House's top healthcare policy adviser will leave his post next month, a White House spokesman confirmed.
Domestic Policy Council chief Joe Grogan has been a powerful force in shaping the Trump administration's healthcare policy since he ascended to his post in early 2019.
His departure comes shortly after former congressman Mark Meadows started working as White House chief of staff.
The Wall Street Journal first reported Grogan's plans to leave his post on May 24.
Grogan is a member of the administration's Coronavirus Task Force and a deficit hawk. He formerly served in the administration as a top healthcare official the Office of Management and Budget, and before that was a lobbyist for the drugmaker Gilead Sciences.
Drug pricing and surprise billing had been top healthcare priorities for the Trump administration before the COVID-19 pandemic, and lawmakers said Grogan pushed for reforms on both issues on Capitol Hill.
"He surprised his critics by being one of the strongest advocates for pharmaceutical reimbursement changes, recognizing the need to deliver lower prices to American patients while ensuring innovative discoveries would continue," said former Grogan aide Abe Sutton.
Congress ultimately left White House-backed legislation out of a major spending deal in December, and a likely legislative vehicle has been punted until after the November election.
Grogan was also a prominent voice in the administration's decision to axe a pharma-backed, costly proposed regulation that would have required prescription drug rebates be passed to consumers.
On site-neutral payments, Grogan supported the Trump administration's decision to advance the policy for 2020, even though a similar measure for 2019 was struck down in court.
Grogan was also engaged on more under-the-radar healthcare policy initiatives. Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who hired Grogan at FDA in 2006, said he worked with Grogan on issues including developing medical countermeasures for military use, expanding continuous manufacturing, advancing the development of cancer drugs and overseeing drug compounding.
"During my time at FDA we realized historic increases in the agency's base budget funding to support key public health initiatives, and Joe was a big part of securing those gains," Gottlieb said.
Sutton also highlighted Grogan's support for initiatives on the drug approval process, HIV-AIDS and kidney care.
The White House did not respond to a question about who will replace Grogan.
