By Dan Levine
(Reuters) -A meeting of a committee which advises the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on vaccine policy has been canceled, a committee member told Reuters, the second such disruption to a federal vaccine advisory panel since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became the nation’s top health official earlier this month.
The meeting of the FDA’s Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee had been planned to take place on March 13, but the FDA sent an email on Wednesday cancelling it, committee member Paul Offit said. The committee had been set to discuss the selection of strains to be included in the influenza virus vaccines for the 2025-2026 flu season, Offit said.
No reason for the cancellation was given, he said. Spokespeople for the FDA and the Health and Human Services Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The move comes after Kennedy was confirmed as the secretary of Health and Human Services earlier this month despite his criticism of agencies under his supervision, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kennedy has denied being “anti-vaccine” and has said he would not prevent Americans from getting vaccinated.
Last week, HHS announced that a meeting of advisers for the CDC on vaccines was being postponed to allow for more public comment.
(Reporting by Dan Levine; Additional reporting by Mike Erman; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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