(Reuters) -Peter Marks, the former top vaccine regulator who was ousted from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration earlier this year, has joined Eli Lilly ( LLY ), the drugmaker told Reuters on Tuesday.

Marks will oversee molecule discovery and infectious diseases at Lilly Research Laboratories.

"Peter's expertise strengthens our abilities across multiple areas, both in our existing portfolio and in our work in emerging areas," the company told Reuters.

Marks, who played a key role in U.S. President Donald Trump's first term in developing COVID-19 vaccines, resigned in March after being forced out by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Shares of U.S. drugmakers fell, when reports on Marks' ouster from the FDA first came out.

As director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Marks had publicly supported programs that expedited the development of rare disease treatments and gene therapies during his tenure.

STAT News first reported on the development.