Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Former Vaccine Czar Slaoui Removed From Board Due To Sexual Harassment Charges
Stat: Moncef Slaoui, Former Head Of Operation Warp Speed, Fired From Company Board Over Sexual Harassment Allegations
Moncef Slaoui, the former scientific director of Covid-19 vaccine development efforts at Operation Warp Speed, was fired from the board of directors of Galvani, a joint venture between Verily and the drug giant GlaxoSmithKline, over allegations of sexual harassment, GSK said Wednesday... In a statement, GSK said that it was first made aware of the allegations in a letter in February. It initiated an investigation by an external law firm, Morgan Lewis. The company said the investigation “substantiated the allegations and is ongoing.” (Herper, 3/24)
Politico: Trump Vaccine Chief Slaoui Fired From Pharma Board Over Sexual Harassment Allegations
GlaxoSmithKline announced Wednesday that Moncef Slaoui, who led the Trump administration's coronavirus vaccine accelerator, was terminated from the board of directors of Galvani Bioelectronics, a GSK joint venture, following sexual harassment allegations. The company received a letter in February detailing sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct allegations against Slaoui that date back several years, to when he led GSK’s vaccine division, CEO Emma Walmsley said in an internal memo to staff. GSK enlisted an outside law firm to look into the accusations. (Owermohle, 3/24)
In other news related to the Trump administration —
CNN: Hospital Official Resigns After Covid-19 Vaccines Were Improperly Distributed At Trump Tower In Chicago
The Board of Trustees for Loretto Hospital accepted the resignation of its COO and CFO Dr. Anosh Ahmed on Wednesday following a discovery that the hospital improperly distributed the Covid-19 vaccine at Trump Tower in downtown Chicago. The news comes just days after the city's Department of Health announced it is withholding additional first doses of Covid-19 vaccines from the hospital, which is in a predominantly Black community in zip codes hardest hit by the virus. (Broaddus, 3/25)
