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By Jordan King
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President Donald Trump's administration has canceled a meeting to decide the makeup of next winter's flu vaccine.
On Wednesday, The Washington Post reported that the Food and Drug Administration had informed the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee via email that the meeting had been canceled.
The FDA has since confirmed the cancellation to Newsweek. The Department of Health and Human Services also told Newsweek that "four years of the Biden administration's failed oversight have made it necessary to review agreements for vaccine production."
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Why It Matters
Influenza viruses change from season to season, meaning flu vaccines must be updated annually.
Every March, the FDA typically holds a meeting for the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee to decide what flu strains to target the following winter. The cancellation of this year's meeting has raised concerns as influenza has increased across the United States.
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What To Know
According to The Washington Post, in its email on Wednesday canceling the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee meeting, the FDA told recipients not to forward the message and advised them not to answer questions from the media.
The meeting, which was scheduled for March 13, was the second federal vaccine advisory panel to be postponed or canceled since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became the secretary of health, the outlet reported.
Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention postponed its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meeting, which was scheduled to take place from February 26 to 28.
According to the CDC, ACIP holds three regular meetings annually "to review scientific data and vote on vaccine recommendations." A date has not been set for the rescheduled February meeting, and the committee's next scheduled meeting is in June.
Flu Season Reaches Unprecedented Intensity
Seasonal influenza reached a high level of intensity this winter, marking the most severe flu season in at least 15 years, according to the CDC.
Earlier this month, deaths from influenza surpassed ones caused by COVID-19 for the first time since the pandemic began in 2020.
Besides COVID-19 and influenza, the U.S. is experiencing an unprecedented spread of respiratory syncytial virus and norovirus in what some doctors are calling a "quad-demic."
What People Are Saying
The Food and Drug Administration said: "A planned March 13 meeting of the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee on the influenza vaccine strains for the 2025-2026 influenza season in the northern hemisphere has been canceled.
"The FDA will make public its recommendations to manufacturers in time for updated vaccines to be available for the 2025-2026 influenza season."
The Department of Health and Human Services said: "While it is crucial that the U.S. Department and Health and Human Services support pandemic preparedness, four years of the Biden administration's failed oversight have made it necessary to review agreements for vaccine production."
What Happens Next
It is unclear whether the FDA will reschedule the canceled March 13 meeting. If it doesn't, it is similarly unclear when or how health officials will decide on their recommendations to manufacturers.
Flu season usually occurs in the fall and winter, with activity typically peaking between December and February.
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