- Cancellation of March meeting raises transparency concerns
- Flu vaccine timeline at risk if approval process is delayed
The Trump administration has canceled an upcoming meeting of the
The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, which evaluates immunization data for the FDA, had planned to meet in March to discuss the composition of next season’s flu vaccine. The meeting is a routine but critical step in ensuring manufacturers have sufficient time to produce
The meeting was originally planned for March 13, but several committee members were notified late Wednesday afternoon that it had been canceled.
“That was the word” that was used, said
In a brief email Thursday, Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for the
The timing of the meeting is crucial because flu vaccine production is a lengthy process, with some doses still made using chicken eggs. Each year, FDA advisers meet to formally decide which flu strains to include, typically aligning with recommendations from the
The FDA can make recommendations to flu vaccine manufacturers without the advisory panel. However, eliminating advisory panels removes a key layer of public accountability and transparency in the FDA’s decision-making process.
‘In the Dark’
“We have this meeting every year. It’s how pharmaceutical companies determine which strains to use,” Offit said. “I don’t understand. We’re all just sort of left in the dark.” He added that it was unclear who had ordered the cancellation or why.
A representative for one major flu shot manufacturer who asked not to be identified said the company was in a wait-and-see mode. While some manufacturing can go on without the strain selection decision, the longer the delay goes on, the more uncertainty it creates around the manufacturing process, the person said. The company will continue with manufacturing for markets other than the US based on the WHO’s recommendations, the person said.
FDA advisory panels don’t issue binding decisions, but they serve an essential role in publicly reviewing data and guiding major regulatory actions. The vaccine advisory panel played a key role during the pandemic, debating whether to authorize mRNA-based Covid vaccines from
The cancellation of this meeting raises concerns that other federal health advisory panels may also be in jeopardy. Since President
By this point in February 2024, at least three FDA advisory panels had already met, with three more officially scheduled for March, according to archived versions of the agency’s website.
The cancellation comes as the US
It also marks the second time in a week that a major government vaccine advisory meeting has been called off. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, which makes national vaccine recommendations, was scheduled to meet this week to review immunization data, but the meeting was postponed.
(Updates with HHS comment in the 5th paragraph.)
--With assistance from
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Jason Gale, John Lauerman
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