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A recently scheduled meeting of the committee that provides recommendations on vaccine policy to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been canceled. This cancellation marks the second disruption of federal vaccine advisory meetings since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. assumed the role of the nation’s top health official earlier this month.
The Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee of the FDA was set to convene on March 13 to discuss which strains should be included in influenza vaccines for the upcoming 2025-2026 flu season. However, Dr. Paul Offit, a member of the committee, confirmed that the FDA communicated the meeting’s cancellation in an email sent on Wednesday, without providing any explanation.
Dr. Stanley Perlman, another committee member, expressed surprise at the cancellation, noting he had not received official notification but had anticipated it since the meeting had not been published in the Federal Register. Perlman learned of the cancellation through another committee member.
Perlman emphasized the importance of rescheduling the meeting soon, particularly because the manufacturing process for flu vaccines, especially those produced in chicken eggs, can be time-consuming. “We don’t have much time,” he remarked, stressing the need for timely decisions to ensure vaccine availability for the next flu season. He also noted that a separate meeting of a subcommittee scheduled for later in March had been canceled.
“There’s a lot of disruption occurring at the FDA, the CDC, and the NIH,” Perlman stated, expressing uncertainty about the reasons behind the recent cancellations. Neither the FDA nor the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) responded immediately to inquiries regarding the situation.
This development follows the confirmation of Kennedy as the secretary of Health and Human Services despite his critical stance on the agencies he oversees, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While Kennedy has denied holding an “anti-vaccine” position, he has also asserted he would not obstruct access to vaccinations for Americans.
In a related announcement, HHS indicated that a meeting for CDC vaccine advisors was postponed to allow for increased public input.
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Source
globalnews.ca