Moroccan-born doctor to lead US Coronavirus vaccine effort
President Donald Trump is planning to appoint GlaxoSmithKline executive and Moroccan-born US Moncef Slaoui to lead efforts to develop a coronavirus vaccine, Reuters reported.
The US government plans to produce 300 million vaccine doses for the pandemic by the end of 2020 under a plan called “Operation Warp Speed.”
Dr Slaoui, 60, joined GlaxoSmithKline in 1988, where he spearheaded research on robust vaccines pipeline.
He then led worldwide business development for pharmaceutical products before his appointment to lead research and development in 2006.
He assumed overall responsibility for GSK’s Oncology Business in 2010, for GSK Vaccines in 2011, and for all Global Franchises in 2012.
Dr. Slaoui is Chairman of the board of directors of Galvani Bioelectronics, a company launched in November 2016 that GSK jointly owns with Verily Life Sciences.
Slaoui has ties with several pharmaceutical firms engaged in the Covid-19 response. GlaxoSmithKline is working to develop a Covid-19 vaccine with Sanofi, and Slaoui sits on the board of Moderna, which is also pursuing a Covid-19 vaccine. Moderna did not respond to questions about whether Slaoui had disclosed his potential role with the Trump administration.
