Operation Warp Speed, chief adviser, dr. Moncef Slaoui, at the request of the incoming Biden team, submitted his resignation under a plan that would see him stay in the role for a month to help with the transition, according to two people familiar with the situation. .
Slaoui’s leading vaccine development for the unprecedented government effort is expected to decline after January 20, say the people, who do not want to be named because the plan has not yet been made public. It would end on February 12th.
It is not clear who will then take scientific guidance for the Biden team focusing on Covid vaccines, or whether anyone will be appointed to the role. There are already two vaccines in the United States, with three more in late-stage clinical trials. Jeff Zients is Biden’s co-ordinator of the Covid-19 response, while Bechara Choucair will be the Covid-19 vaccine coordinator, focused on vaccine acceleration.
One of the people said that Slaoui’s current contract includes 30 days notice before termination, and the Biden team did not ask Slaoui to stick to it.
Former GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical Manager Moncef Slaoui, who will serve as chief adviser on trying to find a vaccine for the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, speaks as President Donald Trump listens during a coronavirus response the Rose Garden at the White. House in Washington.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
Slaoui said earlier that he intends to retire after two vaccines and two treatments for Covid-19 hit the market, which happened last month with the approval of the Moderna vaccine. Last week, he said he “decided to expand it to ensure the operation continues to perform as it did through the transition of government.” However, he noted that “we are closer to the point where my value addition is more limited.”
Although the initial explosion of vaccines has been criticized, the speed of their development, overseen by Slaoui, has exceeded expectations: two vaccines have been approved in the US with 95% efficacy to prevent disease, from Pfizer and Moderna. Central results from Johnson & Johnson on the vaccine, the first to offer the potential for just one dose, are expected within a few weeks. It was the fastest vaccine development in history.
Slaoui was criticized when he accepted the post for his ties to the pharmaceutical industry; he resigned from the board of directors of Moderna around the same time that his role was announced. He sold his shares in the company and said he donated the value-added during the few days he kept it when he was at the helm of Operation Warp Speed.
However, he did not want to sell his shares in GlaxoSmithKline, where he spent 30 years overseeing vaccine development, calling the stock his retirement.
He was particularly criticized by Senator Elizabeth Warren and responded to her in September in a video messageand said he was a registered Democrat but “did not hesitate” to accept the role “because this pandemic is bigger than any of us.”
Slaoui was paid $ 1,000 for his work overseeing Operation Warp Speed, which he said was planned to be donated to scientific research.