The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has canceled a crucial meeting scheduled for March to decide which flu strains will be included in next season’s flu vaccines. Dr. Paul Offit, a member of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, revealed that federal health officials informed the committee of the cancellation via email on Wednesday afternoon. However, the email did not provide any explanation for the decision.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the FDA, has not yet commented on the matter.
This cancellation occurs during a particularly severe flu season in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been 86 pediatric deaths and approximately 19,000 adult fatalities from the flu this season.
Typically, the FDA holds these meetings each spring to gather recommendations on which flu strains should be included in the upcoming vaccine. This process is important because the flu virus evolves annually, requiring updates to the vaccine for optimal protection. By deciding on the strains in the spring, manufacturers have enough time to produce the vaccines before the fall season.
For the current flu season, drugmakers supplied the U.S. with about 148 million doses of flu shots, according to CDC estimates. However, it remains unclear how the canceled meeting will affect Americans seeking flu vaccines next season.
On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) will convene a meeting to decide on flu strains for the Northern Hemisphere, which often influences the FDA’s strain selection.
In January, President Donald Trump initiated the process of withdrawing the U.S. from the WHO, leading to an order for federal health officials to cease communication with the organization. Despite this, officials from the FDA and CDC are expected to participate virtually in the WHO meeting.
The cancellation of the FDA advisory meeting follows the abrupt postponement of a CDC vaccine advisory committee meeting. This earlier meeting was set to cover various vaccines, including a meningococcal vaccine from GSK and a new chikungunya vaccine.
Concerns are rising among scientists that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his skepticism towards vaccines, may influence the vaccine regulatory process, potentially leading to a resurgence of preventable diseases. Earlier this week, Texas reported its first measles death in a decade, amid an outbreak that has resulted in at least 124 cases, primarily affecting children. Dr. Ofer Levy, director of the precision vaccines program at Boston Children’s Hospital, noted, “It’s a bad day for infectious diseases.”
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