The National Pharmaceutical Council, a health policy research organisation dedicated to the advancement of evidence, science and medical innovation, announced on Friday that it has appointed veteran drug pricing and health policy expert John M. O'Brien, Pharm.D, MPH, as its new president and chief executive officer, effective 1 June 2021.

In the new role, O'Brien will be responsible for managing the National Pharmaceutical Council's policy research and communications capacity, partnerships with other health care organisations, and strategic vision.

O'Brien has served as senior advisor to the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services and deputy assistant secretary of planning and evaluation (health policy). He has also served in senior policy positions in the life sciences and managed care industries, including at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, was a career official at the Centres for Medicare & Medicaid Services during the Obama administration, and served as a health policy fellow in the United States Senate.

Also, O'Brien has held various academic appointments, including senior fellow at the USC-Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, clinical assistant professor at the Rutgers Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship program, and assistant professor of clinical and administrative sciences at the Notre Dame of Maryland University College of Pharmacy.