Kessler, who is currently co-chair of the Biden Transition’s Coronavirus Task Force, will help lead Operation Warp Speed in the new role, helping the group that began under President Donald Trump to develop and speed up the spread of vaccines.
Kessler will take over for Moncef Slaoui, who led the effort during the Trump administration. Slaoui, the most visible official who led the Trump administration’s vaccination effort, which was a notable voice of cooperation at a time when Trump was refusing to start a transition process, announced earlier this week that he was on request from the Biden transition team.
Slaoui will continue for another month to “ensure a smooth transition,” a Biden transition official told CNN earlier this week. It is unclear whether Genl. Gustave Perna will remain in his role as chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed.
Operation Warp Speed succeeds in producing a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine, but does not meet the expectations in administering doses to Americans. Biden set a timeline for 100 million shots in the first 100 days of his term.
Kessler, who has worked for both Republicans and Democrats, previously led the FDA for more than six years under Presidents George HW Bush and Bill Clinton.
He was first appointed by Bush to lead the FDA in 1990 and oversaw the launch of the agency’s iconic “Nutrition Facts Label” on packaged foods for the first time. He also helped streamline the FDA’s drug approval process and led the agency during the AIDS / HIV epidemic.
Kessler was also an outspoken advocate of more regulation of nicotine and instituted an FDA investigation to set him against the powerful tobacco industry. The FDA’s investigation led to tobacco executives recognizing the addictive properties of nicotine, and lawsuits filed by State Attorneys General resulted in a major settlement of more than $ 360 billion. Nearly a decade later, a law was passed in 2009 giving the FDA the power to regulate tobacco products.
His approach to the best FDA position led some conservatives to call for his termination, believing that Kessler was applying too many government regulations, the New York Times reported. His fight against unsubstantiated health claims from vitamin manufacturers made then-GOP senator Orrin Hatch of Utah, who was his former boss and backed him as FDA chief, a top critic.
Kessler resigned from the role of FDA commissioner in February 1997 and was appointed dean of Yale Medical School later that year.
Kessler is currently Professor of Pediatrics and Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco. He has also chaired the boards of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Consumer Advice Group and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
This story has been updated with additional background information.
CNN’s Kristen Holmes contributed to this report.
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