The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, which has faced criticism from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., announced on Wednesday that its meeting to discuss next year’s flu vaccines on March 13 has been canceled, with no reason given. Dr. Paul Offit, a committee member, warned this might delay flu vaccine production, which follows a strict six-month cycle. Concerns have risen about Kennedy’s influence potentially undermining vaccine approval processes. Meanwhile, the CDC’s vaccination advisory committee also postponed a meeting, raising alarms as this year’s flu season has been severe, with significant hospitalizations and fatalities recorded.
A panel of scientific experts advising the Food and Drug Administration on vaccine policy — which has faced scrutiny from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — was informed on Wednesday that its scheduled meeting to discuss next year’s flu vaccines has been canceled.
The F.D.A. notified members of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee via email on Monday afternoon about the cancellation, as per a senior official acquainted with the decision. No explanation was provided. The meeting was originally slated for March 13.
One panel member, Dr. Paul Offit from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, known for his critical stance towards Mr. Kennedy, confirmed the cancellation and cautioned that it could disrupt or delay flu vaccine production.
“It’s a six-month production cycle,” Dr. Offit remarked. “So one can only deduce that we’re not selecting flu strains this year.”
The cancellation — along with the recent postponement of a similar meeting for scientific advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — has fueled concerns among scientists who fear that Mr. Kennedy may leverage his position to spread skepticism about vaccines and disrupt the regulatory processes for their approval.
Richard Hughes, an attorney representing vaccine manufacturers, expressed concern regarding the postponement given the typically rigid schedule for flu vaccine production. Strains are generally determined during the F.D.A. meeting in February or March based on World Health Organization data — a relationship that the U.S. diminished early during the Trump administration. He noted that manufacturing generally begins in June.
“The stakes are incredibly high,” he emphasized, pointing out that this year’s flu season has been particularly severe.
According to the C.D.C., this flu season has resulted in the deaths of 86 children and 19,000 adults, with approximately 430,000 hospitalizations. A C.D.C. committee typically decides in June whether to recommend the use of the vaccine, which triggers insurance and government coverage, Mr. Hughes stated.
As a presidential candidate and former supporter of President Trump, Mr. Kennedy has often raised alarms over “regulatory capture” — the notion that federal regulators may be beholden to industry interests. He has voiced intentions to eliminate conflicts of interest on the scientific committees advising federal regulatory bodies.
Dr. Offit, who developed a rotavirus vaccine that was subsequently advanced by the pharmaceutical giant Merck and approved by the F.D.A. in 2006, is one of the individuals that Mr. Kennedy has particularly scrutinized. Dr. Offit’s research funding came from the National Institutes of Health, not from the pharmaceutical company; his hospital, which held the patent for the vaccine, licensed it to Merck.
Committee members are currently required to disclose their collaborations and recuse themselves from voting on matters where they have a financial interest. Mr. Kennedy has proposed stricter limitations on this practice.
The C.D.C.’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meeting would have addressed various vaccines, including one designed to protect against human papillomavirus. Mr. Kennedy has been vocally critical of this vaccine and has worked on litigation against its manufacturer, Merck. He has stated that he intends to donate any earnings from the lawsuit to his adult son.