Biden picks former FDA commissioner Kessler to lead US vaccine effort

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Fri, 2021-01-15 10:10 — mike kraft

Biden picks former FDA commissioner to lead US vaccine effort President-elect Joe Biden has picked Dr. David Kessler, a former head of the US Food and Drug Administration, to lead federal Covid-19 vaccine efforts for the incoming administration, Biden's presidential transition team announced Friday. Dan Merica and Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN CNN

Washington (CNN) President-elect Joe Biden has picked Dr. David Kessler, a former head of the US Food and Drug Administration, to lead federal Covid-19 vaccine efforts for the incoming administration, Biden's presidential transition team announced Friday.

Kessler, who is currently the co-chair of the Biden transition's coronavirus task force, will help lead Operation Warp Speed in the new role, helming the group that began under President Donald Trump to speed up vaccine development and distribution.

Kessler will take over for Moncef Slaoui, who led the effort during the Trump administration. Slaoui, the most visible official leading the Trump administration's vaccine effort who was a notable voice of cooperation at a time when Trump refused efforts to begin a transition, announced earlier this week he was resigning at the Biden transition team's request.

Slaoui will stay on for another month to "ensure a smooth transition," a Biden transition official told CNN earlier this week. It's unclear whether Gen. Gustave Perna will stay in his role as chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed.

Operation Warp Speed has been successful in rapidly manufacturing a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine but has failed to meet expectations in administering doses to Americans. Biden has laid out 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 over six years under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. ...

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