Flu vaccine advisory committee meeting cancellation raises concerns about HHS’ future

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has canceled an upcoming meeting of external experts to discuss next year’s influenza vaccine composition. The move follows the indefinite postponement of a planned meeting of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s vaccine advisory committee and a presidential executive order to cut advisory committees.

“A planned March 13 meeting of the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) on the influenza vaccine strains for the 2025-2026 influenza season in the northern hemisphere has been canceled,” said FDA in an email to Focus. “The FDA will make public its recommendations to manufacturers in time for updated vaccines to be available for the 2025-2026 influenza season.”

Both the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and FDA declined to respond to Focus’ questions on why the annual meeting was canceled and under whose authority. The cancellation, however, comes a week after CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting scheduled for 26-28 February, was indefinitely postponed.

The panel was scheduled to hear testimony on and discuss several vaccines, including the influenza vaccine, but the agency said it postponed the event "to accommodate public comment in advance of the meeting." It also comes a week after President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal officials to identify within 30 days advisory committees that are deemed unnecessary and could be eliminated.

While it is unclear who ordered the meeting changes, HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. has long held controversial views about vaccines. His views were a key topic of contention during his confirmation hearings (RELATED: Kennedy’s contentious nomination hearings hinge on vaccine, abortion policy, Regulatory Focus, 30 January 2025)

“I am not going to go into HHS and impose my preordained opinions on anybody at HHS,” said Kennedy during his confirmation hearing. “I'm going to empower the scientists at HHS to do their jobs and make sure that we have good science that's evidence-based, that's replicable, where the raw data is published.”

Kennedy promised that he would not make the FDA deprioritize or delay the review of new vaccines and that the agency’s vaccine review standards would not change from historical norms.

“I support the measles vaccine, I support the polio vaccine, I will do nothing as HHS secretary that makes it difficult or discourages people from taking any of those vaccines,” he said.

Despite his assurances, Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University, told Focus that he is certain Kennedy made the decision to cancel the VRBPAC meeting and that he believes the public should be concerned about what Kennedy is doing at HHS.

“RFK, Jr is executing on his promise to undermine the scientific basis for vaccines,” said Gostin. “This is part of a clearly emerging pattern to undermine, even eliminate, scientific advisory committees at HHS. I fear that Secretary Kennedy is implementing his long-held skepticism of science and scientific evidence.”

While the FDA has internal experts, Gostin said it is crucial that health agencies get scientific advice from external experts who specialize in their field and can guide public health officials to better evidence-based decisions.

“I expect we will continue to have flu vaccines, but this is a major hit to science and evidence in setting public health policies,” he said.

Gostin also argued that, at best, the decision would cause manufacturers and the public to lose confidence in the FDA's scientific acumen, and at worst, it could delay or impede next year's flu shot.

“I think it is vital for industry, the public, and legislators to stand up for science and public health, and to fight against interference with the scientific process,” he added.

Anand Parekh, chief medical advisor at the Bipartisan Policy Center, told Focus he's concerned about outbreaks of measles and whooping cough around the country. He also noted that the flu season has been intense with suboptimal vaccine uptake.

"We have enough other health challenges in America; we shouldn’t further add vaccine-preventable illness to that list," he added.

Parekh said that the VRBPAC meeting is important in helping public health officials decide on which strains to include in next year's flu vaccine.

"Similarly, CDC’s ACIP should be rescheduled so that the meetings follow regular cadence and order," he added. "Not only are ACIP’s recommendations and CDC’s approval critical to informing health care professionals and the public, they’re also critical to ensuring that the Vaccines for Children program is up to date.

Kennedy has a history of raising skepticism about the safety and efficacy of the flu vaccine. During a 2020 podcast with attorney Alan Dershowitz, he claimed that the vaccine can make people susceptible to other infections.

“In a million years, I would not take the flu shot,” said Kennedy. “People who take the flu shot are protected against that strain of flu, but they're 4.4 times more likely to get a non-flu infection…. The flu shot gives you something called pathogenic priming, injures your immune system so that you're more likely to get a non-flu viral upper respiratory infection.”

Flu vaccine advisory committee meeting cancellation raises concerns about HHS’ future

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