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WHO Recommends Flu Vaccine Composition for 2025-26 Northern Hemisphere Season as US HHS Cancels ACIP, VRBAC Meetings
Two official US vaccine planning meetings cancelled in February is an "unprecedented situation," said NFID medical director Robert Hopkins, Jr, MD.
Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) canceled the regularly scheduled Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meeting, for which discussion was planned for several vaccines.1
Separately, HHS also canceled the upcoming FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBAC) meeting,2 in which outside independent advisors would discuss the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommendation on the influenza vaccines for the 2025-2026 season and offer guidance for vaccine manufacturers and clinical guidance.3
Those recommendations, for the viral composition of influenza vaccines for the next influenza season in the northern hemisphere, were made on February 28, 2025, at an information session at the end of a biannual 4-day meeting on the Composition of Influenza Virus Vaccines.3
In a recent interview with Patient Care© partner website Contagion©, Robert Hopkins Jr, MD, the medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), said the field is charting new territory with the cancellation of the VRBPAC meeting and explains there may be contingency plans in place.4
Following is a transcript of his comments, lightly edited for style and length by editors at Contagion.
“This is an unprecedented situation, so I don't have an evidence-based answer. As I think about the process, we do know that influenza vaccines for the '25-'26 season will be developed for other northern hemisphere countries based on those World Health Organization recommendations, and those same vaccines could be evaluated by the FDA and approved for use in the US. It's also possible that the FDA may select vaccine strains for '25-'26 without the input of these external experts. And remember, that this committee's role is advisory. It has the additional advantage that this is a publicly accessible meeting and FDA has the regulatory power to determine which vaccines will be approved for use in the US, with or without Advisory Committee input,” Hopkins said.
“Canceling one meeting poses a challenge," he said. "It adds uncertainty in our path to having influenza vaccines available to the public late next summer, early fall. But it doesn't necessarily break the process.”
In light of these 2 meeting cancellations, NFID made a public statement: “The NFID is concerned about the postponement of recent Advisory Committee meetings for both the CDC and the FDA. These Advisory Committees play a critical role in providing science-based recommendations for vaccine composition and vaccination that protect public health, prevent serious diseases, and save lives. These actions will delay timely discussions on critical immunization policies, including updates on vaccines that protect against respiratory illnesses, routine childhood immunizations, and emerging infectious disease threats. At a time when vaccine confidence and access are critically important, disruptions to the advisory process can have far-reaching consequences for public health."
"These Advisory Committees are vital components of the robust and rigorous US vaccine safety and efficacy monitoring system in place to ensure public safety," the statement concluded.
In terms of nonvaccine guidance, Hopkins says there are other preventative strategies to employ.
“We need to provide science-based recommendations on all the steps people can take to protect their health, including vaccination, hand washing, wearing masks, reminders to stay away from others when sick, and to contact your healthcare professional about treatment options. And we certainly need to continue to recommend and reinforce the safety and value of vaccines and the prevention of infectious diseases,” he said.
