Moncef Slaoui, a veteran pharmaceuticals executive who helped lead the U.S. government’s investment in Covid-19 vaccine development, has been fired as chairman of the board of a biotechnology startup backed by GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Google-parent Alphabet Inc. following an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment.
Glaxo, a U.K.-based drugmaker, received a letter last month alleging that Dr. Slaoui several years ago had committed acts of sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct toward a Glaxo employee, Glaxo Chief Executive Emma Walmsley said in a companywide email to employees reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
The alleged misconduct occurred while Dr. Slaoui was employed by Glaxo, where he led the company’s vaccines unit and sat on the board of directors before retiring in 2017.
Glaxo said it hired a law firm to conduct an investigation and that the law firm substantiated the allegations.
The investigation led to the termination of Dr. Slaoui’s job as chairman of Galvani Bioelectronics, a medical research company formed as a joint venture by Glaxo and Alphabet subsidiary Verily Life Sciences, Glaxo said. Glaxo is Galvani’s majority shareholder.
