- The FDA has unexpectedly canceled an annual meeting for advisory panelists to discuss the composition of next flu season’s vaccine. They meet yearly due to the flu changing every year, with certain strains becoming more and less prevalent.
- It is not yet clear if the meeting will be rescheduled, or how next season’s vaccine will be determined without the meeting.
- A World Health Organization advisory panel will meet Friday to discuss its recommendation for next year’s flu vaccine.
Full story
A meeting of Food and Drug Administration advisers set for March to discuss the composition of next flu season’s vaccine has been unexpectedly canceled.
What happened?
In an email on Wednesday, Feb. 26, federal officials informed panelists with the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee that the meeting was canceled, but did not say why. However, that panel has been the target of criticism from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the past.
Why do we need it?
Since the flu virus changes each year, the FDA usually holds the meeting each spring to get recommendations on which strains of the flu should be included in the next iteration of the vaccine.
Deciding on the strains in the spring gives vaccine manufacturers enough time to produce all the shots they’ll need to be ready for the fall.
This 2024-25 flu season has been particularly severe. The CDC said so far, 86 children and 19,000 adults have died.
How will the next vaccine be determined?
It’s not yet clear if the meeting will be rescheduled or what the plan is if it’s not.
A World Health Organization advisory committee is set to meet Friday, Feb. 28, to discuss which strains of the flu should be included in next season’s vaccine for the northern hemisphere. The FDA usually considers the committee’s recommendations when deciding on what composition to use.
