The Food and Drug Administration has unexpectedly canceled its annual advisory meeting to update next season’s flu vaccines, disrupting the usual process for manufacturers preparing next winter’s flu shots. The cancellation, which took many committee members by surprise, was confirmed by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Dr. Paul Offit, a member of the FDA advisory panel and director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, expressed concern over the sudden decision, stating that the committee was scheduled to meet on March 13 to select flu strains for the upcoming season. The advisory panel typically aligns its recommendations with the World Health Organization’s guidance, but its input has influenced major changes in recent years.
The FDA has yet to explain why the meeting was canceled, but a spokesperson assured that the agency would make its vaccine strain recommendations in time for manufacturers to produce updated flu shots for the 2025-2026 season. Industry experts note that selecting flu strains is time-sensitive, as vaccine production—especially for egg-based vaccines—takes roughly six months.
The cancellation follows another unexpected delay of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) immunization advisory meeting earlier this month. Meanwhile, early CDC data suggests that this season’s flu vaccine may have been a poor match for at least one common flu strain, raising concerns about the selection process moving forward.