FDA Cancels Meeting to Select Strains for Next Season’s Shots
Vaccine Advisory Committee Meeting Scrapped with No Explanation
A Food and Drug Administration vaccine advisory committee meeting scheduled for March to select the strains to be included in next season’s flu shot has been canceled, a panel member said Wednesday.
Federal health officials notified members of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee of the cancelation in an email Wednesday afternoon, said committee member Dr. Paul Offit, the director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
No Explanation for the Scrapped Meeting
The email, Offit said, offered no explanation for the canceled meeting.
Severe Flu Season
The cancelation comes as the United States is in the midst of a particularly severe flu season. So far this season, there have been 86 deaths in children and 19,000 deaths in adults, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Importance of the Meeting
The FDA typically convenes the meeting every spring to get recommendations on which strains should be included in the upcoming flu vaccine.
The meetings are important because the flu virus changes year to year, and the vaccine must be updated to provide the best protection. Deciding on the strains in the spring gives vaccine manufacturers enough time to produce the shots to be ready for the fall.
Global Efforts
On Friday, a World Health Organization advisory committee is scheduled to meet on which strains should be included in the next flu vaccines in the Northern Hemisphere. That meeting typically influences the FDA’s strain selection.
Ties to the World Health Organization
In January, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to begin the process of withdrawing the U.S. from the WHO. Federal health officials were later ordered to stop communicating with the WHO.
Stat News reported on Monday that officials from both the FDA and the CDC would participate virtually in the WHO meeting, however.
Recent Vaccine Committee Meeting Cancellation
The canceled FDA advisory meeting comes just days after a CDC vaccine advisory committee meeting was abruptly postponed.
Concerns about HHS Secretary
The canceled meeting is likely to add to concerns among scientists that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, an anti-vaccine activist, could undermine the vaccine regulatory process in the U.S., possibly leading to a resurgence of preventable diseases.
Measles Outbreak
Earlier Wednesday, Texas health officials reported that an unvaccinated child in the state died from the measles, the first death from the virus in a decade. An outbreak in the state has led to at least 124 cases, mostly in children.
“It’s a bad day for infectious diseases,” said Dr. Ofer Levy, director of the precision vaccines program at Boston Children’s Hospital who has advised the FDA on vaccines.
Conclusion
The cancellation of the FDA advisory committee meeting raises concerns about the future of vaccine regulation and the potential for a resurgence of preventable diseases in the U.S.
FAQs
Q: Why was the FDA advisory committee meeting canceled?
A: The FDA advisory committee meeting was canceled with no explanation given in an email to committee members.
Q: What is the significance of the meeting?
A: The meeting is crucial in selecting the strains that will be included in next season’s flu vaccine, which is necessary to provide the best protection against the flu.
Q: What does this mean for the future of vaccine regulation?
A: The cancellation of the meeting raises concerns about the potential for a resurgence of preventable diseases in the U.S. due to the involvement of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, an anti-vaccine activist, in the vaccine regulatory process.
