Kessler, who is currently co-chair of the Biden transition coronavirus task force, will help lead Operation Warp Speed in the new role, leading the group that started under President Donald Trump to accelerate the development and distribution of the vaccine.
Kessler will take over from Moncef Slaoui, who led the effort during the Trump administration. Slaoui, the most visible official leading the Trump administration’s vaccination effort who was a notable voice of cooperation at a time when Trump declined efforts to initiate a transition, announced earlier this week that he was stepping down at the request of the team. Biden transition.
Slaoui will stay for another month to “ensure a smooth transition,” a Biden transition official told CNN earlier this week. General Gustave Perna, who is currently the chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed, will remain in the new administration, but under his “new structure”, a transition officer told CNN.
Operation Warp Speed has succeeded in rapidly making a safe and effective vaccine for Covid-19, but has not met expectations when administering doses to Americans. Biden drew up a schedule for 100 million doses in the first 100 days of his term.
Kessler, who worked for both Republicans and Democrats, 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 for more nicotine regulation and launched an FDA investigation, pitting him against the powerful tobacco industry. The FDA investigation resulted in tobacco executives admitting the addictive qualities of nicotine, and lawsuits filed by state attorney generals resulted in a historic settlement of more than $ 360 billion. Almost a decade later, a law was passed in 2009 giving the FDA authority to regulate tobacco products.
His approach to the top FDA job prompted some conservatives to resign, believing that Kessler was applying too many government regulations, the New York Times reported. His crackdown on unsubstantiated health claims by vitamin manufacturers has made then-GOP Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah, who was his former chief and supported him as FDA chief, a major critic.
Kessler left the position of FDA commissioner in February 1997 and was appointed dean of Yale’s medical school later that year.
Kessler is currently a professor of pediatrics, epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco. He also served as chairman of the board of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group, and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
This story has been updated with additional reports and background information.
CNN’s Kristen Holmes contributed to this report.
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