Moncef Slaoui, the former scientific director of the development of the COVID-19 vaccine in Operating bending speed during the Trump administration, he was fired from a GlaxoSmithKline joint venture on charges of sexual harassment, the drugmaker said on Wednesday.
GSK became aware of the actions against Slaoui in February and hired an outside law firm, Morgan Lewis, to investigate, the company announced. The investigation “substantiated the allegations and is ongoing,” said GSK. The behavior “occurred several years ago when he was a GSK employee,” the company said in a statement.
Slaoui is being removed from his position as chairman of the board of Galvani Bioelectronics, a joint venture between GSK and Verily Life Sciences. The medical research company is focused on developing bioelectronic drugs to treat chronic diseases.
“Dr. Slaoui’s behavior is totally unacceptable,” said GSK. “They represent an abuse of their leadership position, violate company policies and are contrary to the strong values that define GSK’s culture.”
Slaoui expressed “deep regret” when acknowledging his resignation. “I have the greatest respect for my colleagues and I feel terrible because my actions have put an ex-colleague in an uncomfortable situation,” he said in a statement emailed to CBS MoneyWatch. “I would like to apologize without reservation to the official in question,” said Slaoui, who added that he would take a leave of absence to focus on his family.
Appointed scientific chief of Operation Warp Speed by then President Donald Trump last May, Slaoui stepped down in January and briefly served as an advisor to the Biden administration.
He recently told CBS’s Face the Nation program that he did not regret working with the Trump administration, but he considered it a big mistake to turn a public health issue into a policy. “Many people have probably died or suffered because the whole situation has become so political that emotions have gone beyond rationality,” said Slaoui. “The only thing that counts is that we have vaccines and I am happy that I was part of the team to help deliver them.”
Slaoui worked for GSK for almost 30 years and, from 2006 to 2017, oversaw research and development and, subsequently, coronavirus vaccines.
He recently launched a new company, Centessa Pharmaceuticals.