April 21, 2020 CHICAGO — The U.S. Department of
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CHICAGO — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Tuesday it has replaced Rick Bright as director of a key U.S. agency charged with developing drugs and vaccines for COVID-19.
Bright, who was director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, since 2016, has been moved to a new public-private partnership under the National Institutes of Health announced last week. He will oversee the acceleration of testing platforms for COVID-19, according to a Health and Human Services representative.
Bright, an expert in vaccines and therapeutics who served as an adviser to the World Health Organization, will be replaced by Gary Disbrow, his former deputy, who will serve as acting director of BARDA. The change was first reported by STAT news.